PhD defence K. (Kai) Zhang

Summary:Prostate cancer incidence and mortality differ between Asia and Europe/USA. This is mainly due to prostate cancer screening in Europe and the United States, and perhaps nutrition also plays a role. Because of the rapid ageing of the population in China, the incidence of prostate cancer there is now also increasing rapidly. The high rate of metastatic disease at diagnosis among the Chinese population highlights the importance of screening for prostate cancer in China. A nationwide, flexible, prospective prostate cancer screening programme is needed to develop a diagnostic model suitable for early detection of prostate cancer in Chinese men. To avoid running into the same problems as in Europe and the United States, the prostate cancer screening programme should aim to detect clinically significant prostate cancer and reduce the number of men diagnosed with metastatic disease. The model should be tailored to the local setting using screening tests that are reliable, practical and cost-effective. This will help optimise the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening.