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PSA testing is the most effective tool for detecting prostate cancer, experts say

Category: Prostate

It is widely accepted that PSA tests can play an important role in detecting prostate problems early and saving lives, but some in the medical community have recently warned that too much testing can lead to overdiagnosis and increased medical costs.

However, many physicians are saying that the alternative of limiting the number of tests could lead to poorer outcomes for those who develop the disease. This is because prostate cancer can be relatively easy to treat when it is caught early, but deadly if it is left to develop untreated.

Dr Gregg Zimmerman told NewJerseyNewsroom.com that the recent debate over PSA testing has focused mainly on the financial cost of treating misdiagnosed problems, but not enough has been said about the cost of missing potentially treatable prostate problems in men.

"The PSA marker is the best we have," he told the news source. "There is no harm in screening."The better question is: When should we be treating the disease?"

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 200,000 men developed prostate cancer in 2006.