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Medical Panel to Men: Skip Prostate Screening

Government group says PSA test doesn't save lives

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 6, 2011 5:55 PM CDT

(Newser) – A potentially big change in men's health care: A governmental health panel is about to recommend that men stop getting screened for prostate cancer, reports CNN. The Preventative Services Task Force has concluded that the commonly used PSA blood test often does more harm than good because it leads to invasive treatments with nasty side effects, adds the New York Times. The report is to be formally unveiled on Tuesday, followed by a period of public comment.

Researchers based their recommendation on five clinical trials. They concluded that the PSA screening, sometimes accompanied by a digital rectal exam, results in "small or no reduction" in deaths. The test does indeed detect antibodies, but the cancer usually spreads so slowly that it's better to let it go rather than subject men to treatments whose side effects include impotence and incontinence, according to the report.

The US Preventative Services Task Force thinks that prostate screenings do not save lives.
The US Preventative Services Task Force thinks that prostate screenings do not save lives.   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 58 comments
Jingo
Oct 7, 2011 6:03 PM CDT
Cheaper to let us die
bewilderbeast
Oct 7, 2011 4:56 AM CDT
Are we still stuck with the "up-finger" test? You'd think a panel of docs would vote THAT one out! Ah, here it is: "There is no evidence that a digital rectal exam or ultrasound are effective, either. “There are no reliable signs or symptoms of prostate cancer,” said Dr. Timothy J. Wilt, a member of the task force and a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. Frequency and urgency of urinating are poor indicators of disease, since the cause is often benign." I think this is GOOD news. Unless there's a PROVEN benefit DO NOTHING. Common sense.
guvner
Oct 6, 2011 10:29 PM CDT
Obama throwing my prostate under the bus!

 
prostate cancer • cancer screening • men's health • US Preventative Services Task Force

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