R. Saffrin et al., THE IMPACT OF TRANSRECTAL ULTRASOUND ON STAGE - MIGRATION IN A PREDOMINANTLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION, Journal of the National Medical Association, 87(10), 1995, pp. 759-761
An important question left unanswered is whether transrectal ultrasoun
d will result in earlier diagnosis in African Americans. Tumor registr
y data for 1985 and 1990 for a predominantly African-American populati
on were reviewed to determine whether transrectal ultrasound influence
d the stage at diagnosis of prostate cancer, Diagnosis by ultrasound i
ncreased from 0% to 60% of cases in those 5 years, Curable diseases (s
tages A and B) increased from 38% to 57% of cases. It is concluded tha
t transrectal ultrasound can increase the diagnostic yield of potentia
lly curable disease in a predominantly African-American population.