Evidence used to support recommendations made in guidelines for monitoring with prostate-specific antigen
| Type of study | No. of studies | Recommendation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency of testing | Threshold (radical prostatectomy) | Threshold (radical radiotherapy) | Variability | Uncertainty in natural history of PSA | ||
| ASTRO consensus statements | 3 | x | x | |||
| Best practice statement | 1 | x | ||||
| Reviews | 10 | x | x | x | x | x |
| Primary studies | 34 | x | x | x | x | |
| Acceptability of follow-up | 3 | x | ||||
| Optimal frequency of follow-up | 1 | x | ||||
| Natural history of PSA following treatment | 15 | x | x | x | x | |
| Natural history of PSA without treatment | 1 | x | ||||
| Salvage radical radiotherapy outcomes | 4 | x | ||||
| Testing biochemical failure definitions | 8 | x | x | x | ||
| Measurement variability | 2 | x | ||||
| No. of guidelines citing evidence | 4 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 3 | |
Note: ASTRO = American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, PSA = prostate-specific antigen.