COMPARISON OF THE INCIDENCE OF LATENT PROSTATE CANCER DETECTED AT AUTOPSY BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN ERA

Autopsy rates are decreasing at our institution. With the more widespread use of screening, the prevalence of latent prostate cancer has decreased 3-fold. The decrease in the prevalence of latent prostate cancer is especially dramatic in men older than 70 years. Further study will determine the significance of many of the tumors currently detected clinically, which may have been latent and found at autopsy if not for screening.