Health

Prostate cancer screening does little to prolong survival

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 30, 2006

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

There is little evidence that measuring prostate-specific antigen levels in the blood and performing digital rectal exams are effective in reducing death from prostate cancer, says a study in the Jan. 9 Archives of Internal Medicine. While the screening tests could detect cancer at earlier stages, they did not necessarily prolong survival, researchers said.

They compared the treatment of 501 men age 50 and older who were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1991 and 1995 and had died by 1999 with the treatment for 501 living men matched for age and treatment.

Medical records were reviewed to determine if the men in either group had been screened for prostate cancer. They found that 14% of the men who died of prostate cancer and 13% of the men in the control group had been screened with PSA, a similar rate. If prostate cancer screening prevented death, then fewer of the men who died would have received screening compared with the men who were living, the researchers concluded.

Thus far, evidence has led to varying recommendations. The American Cancer Society says physicians should offer the PSA blood test and digital rectal exam to men 50 and older. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has found insufficient evidence to recommend the screenings, and the American College of Physicians advises counseling men about the tests' benefits and risks.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/01/30/hlbf0130.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn