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MONDAY, Nov. 23, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
Negative biopsies among early-stage prostate cancer<\/a> patients who’ve chosen active surveillance are associated with a low risk of disease progression, but they aren’t a sign that their cancer<\/a> has completely vanished, a new study indicates.<\/p>\n Active surveillance refers to close monitoring for signs of cancer<\/a> progression — what’s often called “watchful waiting.” Patients sometimes get regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, prostate exams, imaging and repeat biopsies.<\/p>\n The objective of active surveillance is to avoid or delay treatment and its side effects without putting patients at risk of cancer<\/a> progression and death.<\/p>\n Sometimes, active surveillance patients have negative biopsies that show no evidence of prostate cancer<\/a>. While some of these patients may believe that their cancer<\/a> has “vanished,” they most likely have low-volume or limited, hidden areas of prostate cancer<\/a> that weren’t detected in the biopsy sample, according to the authors of the study published recently in The Journal of Urology<\/em>.<\/p>\n “While a negative biopsy is good news, the long-term implications associated with such ‘hidden’ cancers<\/a> remain unclear,” said study author Dr. Carissa Chu, from the University of California, San Francisco.<\/p>\n For the study, Chu and colleagues analyzed data from 514 men undergoing active surveillance for early-stage prostate cancer<\/a> between 2000 and 2019. All of them had at least three surveillance biopsies after their initial prostate cancer<\/a> diagnosis. Median follow-up time was nearly 10 years.<\/p>\n Of those patients, 37% had at least one negative biopsy, including 15% with consecutive negative biopsies, according to the report.<\/p>\n Men with negative biopsies had more favorable disease characteristics, including low PSA density and fewer samples with cancer<\/a> at the initial prostate biopsy. Negative biopsies were also associated with good long-term outcomes, the researchers said.<\/p>\n After 10 years, rates of survival with no need for prostate cancer treatment (such as surgery or radiation<\/a>) were 84% for men with consecutive negative biopsies, 74% for those with one negative biopsy and 66% for those with no negative biopsies.<\/p>\n After adjusting for other factors, the researchers concluded that men with one or more negative biopsies were much less likely to have cancer detected on a later biopsy.<\/p>\n “For men undergoing active surveillance, negative biopsies indicate low-volume disease and lower rates of disease progression,” Chu said in a journal news release. “These ‘hidden’ cancers<\/a> have excellent long-term outcomes and remain ideal for continued active surveillance.”<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n There’s more on prostate cancer at the U.S. National Cancer Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n SOURCE: The Journal of Urology<\/em>, news release, Nov. 17, 2020<\/p>\n Robert Preidt<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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