KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to analyze the spatio-temporal variation in PSA testing across the Stockholm region.
- The results showed that PSA testing varies geographically, with higher rates in affluent areas and influenced by socio-economic factors.
Prostate cancer screening through prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is a topic of debate but is still common in many countries. There is limited information on how PSA testing varies spatially, especially in Sweden.
Balram Rai and the team aimed to describe the spatio-temporal variation in PSA testing before a prostate cancer diagnosis in the Stockholm region at both the municipality and small area levels.
Researchers conducted a population-based register study that included men aged 40 and older living in the Stockholm region from 2007 to 2016. For 2016, the study reported the percentage of men who had a PSA test in the past 1, 2, 5, and 10 years, broken down by 10 year age groups. The age-standardized proportion of men having a PSA test in small areas for each calendar year was reported. Spatial smoothing was used to calculate the age-standardized proportion of men with a PSA test in a small area for each calendar year.
The results showed that in 2016, 74.0% of men aged 60-69 and 77.8% of men aged 70-79 had taken a PSA test in the previous 10 years. Municipalities like Danderyd and Ekerö showed high proportions of PSA testing. There was a noticeable variation in these proportions within each municipality. Men born in Sweden had an odds ratio 2.22 (95% CI 2.00–2.52) for having a PSA test.
The study concluded that opportunistic PSA testing is prevalent, with significant geographic variation observed. Higher testing rates were found in more affluent and metropolitan areas, with socio-economic and demographic factors like education, income, and country of birth influencing these variations.
The study was funded by the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the European Commission.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39146336/
Rai B, Nordström T, Lantz A, et al. (2024). “Spatio-temporal variation in prostate cancer testing in Stockholm: A population-based study.” PLoS One. 2024 Aug 15;19(8):e0308254. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308254. PMID: 39146336.
