News in brief - March 21, 2011

PSA velocity tests can lead to unnecessary biopsies - Readmission rates higher for blacks than whites

PSA velocity tests can lead to unnecessary biopsies

The traditional method of screening for high prostate-specific antigen velocity alone is not the best method of determining whether a man should undergo a biopsy, says a study published online Feb. 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Researchers evaluated 5,519 men 55 and older from the institute's Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial who underwent biopsy. They found no evidence that men should be biopsied if they have high PSA velocity but no other indications of prostate cancer.

"If a man's PSA has risen rapidly in recent years, there is no cause for concern if his total PSA level is still low and his clinical exam is normal," said Andrew Vickers, PhD, lead study author and associate attending research methodologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

The results contradict research that has shown a relationship between PSA velocity and prostate cancer, said the study (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21350221).

Readmission rates higher for blacks than whites

Black Medicare patients hospitalized for certain serious conditions are more likely than whites to find themselves back in a hospital bed within 30 days of their discharge, a study shows.

Disparities in hospital readmissions are related to patient race and the hospital where the care is provided, said the study in the Feb. 16 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (www.jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/7/675).

Researchers examined Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data on 3.16 million discharges for patients with acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure or pneumonia between Jan. 1, 2006, and Nov. 30, 2008. They found that black patients had 13% higher odds than whites of being readmitted within 30 days for all causes. Patients discharged from hospitals that treated the highest proportion of black patients had a 23% greater chance of being readmitted within 30 days compared with patients discharged from other hospitals, the study said.