Prostate cancer trends in the era of prostate-specific antigen - An update of incidence, mortality, and clinical factors from the SEER database

Observed trends in the SEER database demonstrate dramatic changes in prostate cancer incidence, mortality, and clinical factors in the era of prostate-specific antigen testing. These data indicate that prostate cancer incidence has risen to a new steady-state level, that prostate cancers are being diagnosed substantially earlier in the natural history of the disease, and that mortality rates are declining. These findings indicate that the decline in prostate cancer mortality comes in concert with increases in overdiagnosis and overtreatment of prostate cancer.