PSA Testing For Men – Weighing The Pros And Cons – Part I

A latest study has revealed that a staggering one million males endure unnecessary treatments subsequent to testing for Prostate Cancer. This sheds light on the alarming question about the extent of harm or the benefits availed from PSA prostate cancer screening test.

Experts have pointed out that in each case of a man undergoing PSA testing to avert prostate cancer, nearly fifty men have to endure unneeded treatments and a third of such men would face grave troubles with the treatment.

Testing of blood is undertaken to identify PSA or Prostate-specific antigen in the blood. Elevated levels of PSA possibly could or could not indicate prostate cancer. Thus, even those men with dubious levels of PSA have to go through with prostate biopsy procedures.

Even though huge populace of men seem to be going in for the yearly PSA blood screening tests, several expert groups like the American Cancer Society have not counselled the regular PSA testing for prostate cancer, as an alternative the testing is advised solely for such men that have followed a detailed discussion with their doctor concerned, regarding its pros and cons and yet desire to carry out the PSA test.

The findings obtained by the collaborative efforts of Professor of Medicine, Mr. Welch of the Dartmouth University and urologist  at the University of Connecticut, Mr. Peter C. Albertson, is based on the data analysed on prostate cancer gathered collectively by the National Cancer Institute and populace data derived from the United State Census Report.

The outcome drawn between years 1986-2005 on the PSA screening lead to the testing of nearly 1.3million prostate cancer cases, which normally would not have been identified, with greater than one million of such cases that underwent treatment procedures like surgical intervention or radiation therapy. In that period of time, the fatalities due to prostate cancer significantly plummeted.

The duo researchers Welch and Albertsen, after assuming a traditionalist approach came to the understanding that PSA screening of preliminary stages of prostate cancers and not the advancements in the treatment procedures was the reason behind the complete reduction in deaths due to prostate cancer. In such situations, PSA screening might have protected the lives of 56,500 men, however nearly 943,500 patients that were not intended to become symptomatic or face fatality due to prostate cancer underwent needless treatment and faced harm from its associated side effects, when there was zilch that needed to be fixed.

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