Is DRE essential for the follow up of prostate cancer patients?
PSA is the most common factor influencing change in the management of these patients. Nurse specialists can run prostate cancer follow-up clinics in parallel to existing consultant clinics and reserve DRE only for those patients who have a PSA change or have onset of new symptoms. However larger studies are required involving all the subgroups of patients to identify the subgroups of patients who will require DRE routinely.
Local failure is a significant problem in locally advanced carcinomas of the anal canal. Higher radiation doses with limited treatment breaks may offer an increase in local control and survival.