Does cumulative prostate cancer length (CCL) in prostate biopsies improve prediction of clinically insignificant cancer at radical prostatectomy in patients eligible for active surveillance?
In patients eligible for AS, a CCL/core of<0.20 mm was significantly associated with insignificant cancer and LV-OCD. However, when parameters of cancer burden were considered, CCL/core did not independently add any additional value for predicting insignificant cancer in patients with biopsy Gleason score 6. The CCL/core was an independent predictor of LV-OCD in the whole population and in group 1 patients, although the model including prostate cancer length showed slightly higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.
No significant improvement in film readers' sensitivity or specificity or gain in cost-effectiveness was established in either study. This may be due to the system's low specificity, its relatively poor sensitivity for subtle cancers or the fact the prompts cannot serve as aids to decision-making. Readers may have been better able to make use of the prompts after becoming more accustomed to working with them. Prompts may have an impact in routine use that is not detectable in an experimental setting. Although the case for CAD as an element of the NHS Breast Screening Programme is not made here, further research is required. Evaluations of new CAD tools in routine use are underway and their results should be given careful attention.