Prostate Cancer Screening may not Reduce Mortality

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The traditional blood test screening for prostate cancer does not cut down on deaths from the disease, according to a new study.

Yale University and Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System researchers studied the screening histories of more than 1,000 men ages 50 and older -- half of who had died from prostate cancer. They found the same number of men in each group had undergone a PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer.

John Concato, M.D., lead author of the study, believes the study suggests screening was not effective. He says, "If screening worked, men who died would have had less testing than those who lived."

The finding raises another question about the controversial PSA test, which has come under fire because it can be elevated by benign conditions and because of its lack of specificity. Proponents of the test argue for its value based on its relative ease and the lack of other simple screening methods for the disease.

"The key question is whether early detection and subsequent aggressive treatment of prostate cancers found through PSA screening prevents enough morbidity and mortality to overcome these disadvantages," says Michael Barry, M.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital.

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SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006;166:38-43