I often talk about PSA screening for prostate cancer. The USPSTF recently did not recommend screening men age 75 or older.
PSAs have not been shown to improve mortality, and can lead to a slew of unnecessary biopsies and anxiety.
Predictably, urologists do not agree, as more PSA screenings lead to more revenue-generating workups.
The unnecessary testing brigade over at Dartmouth, summarizes the arguments for and against testing in a Boston Globe op-ed.
It rebukes the rampant, uncritical, publicity that the media and celebrities give to prostate cancer screening.
I’m not saying don’t do it, but go in with your eyes open and realize it isn’t a black and white issue:
Prostate screening has been heavily marketed to the public for years in ways that have exaggerated the risk of cancer and the benefit and safety of screening.To really help men, we need to help them understand the risks they face and which ones can be reduced with interventions of proven benefit.
