Change in prostate cancer presentation coinciding with USPSTF screening recommendations at a community-based urology practice

The benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)–based prostate cancer screening are controversial. We sought to determine the change in prostate cancer presentation coinciding with the release of the United States Preventative Services Task Force recommendations against screening in a high-volume community-based urology practice. Characteristics of men presenting for an elevated PSA at a community urology practice from August 2011 to August 2015 were queried from a prospectively collected database. A retrospective analysis of presenting PSA, Gleason grade at biopsy, and prostatectomy as well as clinical and pathologic stage was performed. Kruskal-Wallis rank sum and chi-square tests were used for analysis. Referrals for elevated PSA decreased from 933 in year 1 to 816 by year 4 (12.5% decrease) with a concomitant reduction in biopsies performed in newly referred men from 461 to 356 (22.8% decrease, P = 0.02). The proportion of men presenting with PSAs>10 increased from 28.1% to 36.8% (P = 0.009). First-time biopsy-positivity rate increased from 48.4% to 62.4% with a rise in the proportion having Gleason≥7 from 51.6% to 69.7% (P = 0.0001). Of the 578 men who underwent radical prostatectomy, there was a 19.4% increase in Gleason≥7 tumors (P = 0.01). Our findings demonstrate a decrease in elevated PSA referrals, increase in PSA at the time of referral, decrease in detection of low-risk disease, and increase in detection of intermediate-/high-risk disease in a high-volume, multisite, community-based urology practice, coinciding with the United States Preventative Services Task Force recommendations against PSA screening. •Referral patterns for elevated PSA at a community urology practice were studied.•The time frame of data coincided with USPSTF recommendations against PSA screening.•PSA referrals decreased, whereas PSA values at the time of referral increased.•First-time biopsy-positivity rate increased, as did rate of Gleason≥7 on biopsy.•Coinciding with USPSTF release, referral patterns for elevated PSA are affected.