Are volume-specific cutoffs necessary for reproducible application of prostate-specific antigen density of the transition zone in prostate cancer detection?
Unlike whole group-derived cutoffs, the use of volume-specific PSA-TZ cutoffs allows consistently high specificity in all volume-stratified cohorts. The discrepancies in the PSA-TZ and PSAD specificities in published reports are likely due to the application of published cutoffs to populations of differing prostate volumes. The use of volume-specific cutoffs results in reproducible specificity in populations with differing prostate volume distribution, and thereby definitively resolves the differences in PSA-TZ specificity reported in published reports.
In this pilot study, a trend was seen for the group given high genetic risk information to be more likely to quit than the generic or low genetic risk groups. Participants were willing to take a genetic test but further work is needed to address the cost benefits of routine genetic testing for risk of AMD. More generic risk information should be given to the public, and health warnings on cigarette packets that 'smoking causes blindness' is a good way to achieve this.