Evidence-based critical analysis of robotic prostatectomy outcomes

The introduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in the USA has determined two major effects on prostate cancer epidemiology. First, the age-adjusted incidence of prostate cancer has steeply increased to nearly 250 new cases over 100,000 in the first half of the 1990s (though it has been more recently decreased to 150/100,000 in 2006) (Fig. 7.1); and second, the earlier prostate cancer diagnosis has led to a downward stage migration and therefore most of the diseases were identified at the initial stage.