Current applications for prostate-specific antigen doubling time

Abstract

Objective: To review the current status of prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) as it pertains to the evolution of prostate cancer (PCa), specifically assessing its role in the following four stages: before diagnosis, prior to definitive treatment, following treatment including salvage therapy after recurrence, and lastly, after onset of androgen-insensitive PCa.

Methods: We searched PubMed literature for current articles on PSADT using the key words listed for this review and, where possible, selected those with significant levels of evidence that were deemed relevant, seminal, or controversial. We summarized the data regarding PSADT as a marker for diagnosis and disease characterization, as well as a predictor of progression, response to treatment, and mortality.

Results: PSADT may offer an advantage in providing a more dynamic picture of tumor behavior, providing clues regarding the relative aggressiveness of the underlying pathology. Evidence points toward a role for PSADT in the management of PCa, specifically in active surveillance, disease recurrence after treatment, and in androgen-independent PCa. PSADT is an important prognostic factor that may serve as an auxiliary end point for cancer-specific survival; however, optimal cut-off points denoting risk remain debatable.

Conclusions: PCa management requires risk stratification with a combination of variables, PSADT being one of the most reliable predictors. It is now a parameter included in many predictive nomograms and in treatment guidelines for expectant management and salvage therapy.