The USPSTF updates their prostate cancer screening guidelines, recommending against prostate cancer screening in men age 75 years or older.

PSAs have always been controversial, as there are no studies definitively pointing to a survival benefit. The costs of increased screening include false positives, leading to more invasive, unnecessary testing like prostate biopsies.

The challenge will be to convince patients. There is a pervading mentality that earlier and more frequent testing equates to better medicine. In the case of prostate cancer screening, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

I also wonder how the old Merenstein case will weigh on physicians’ minds when considering these new recommendations.