Private MD News

Advocates say PSA testing is effective

Category: Prostate

Despite recent controversy in which opponents of PSA testing claimed that the screening method leads to over-diagnosis and overtreatment, most health experts still say that the test is the most effective means for detecting prostate cancer in its early stages while it is treatable.

Skip Lockwood, CEO of ZERO, a group that seeks to end prostate cancer, said that countless studies have shown that men who receive regular PSA testing are less likely to die from prostate cancer than men who are rarely screened.

He said that, despite some reports which have indicated that men with low-risk growths may be able to simply monitor their condition, many choose to pursue aggressive treatment options, which is the real cause of overtreatment.

"When it comes to 'overtreatment,' the PSA test is not to blame – it's what happens next," Longwood said. "Some doctors and patients are too quick to rush to treatment rather than carefully determine the risks and benefits of various procedures."

A recent report in the Archives of Internal Medicine cited PSA testing as one of the main reasons why prostate cancer rates have dropped in recent years.