Prostate cancer screening trial raises concerns about 'false positive' results
A large European trial has cast doubt over the viability of prostate cancer screening, concluding that one in eight men receive a positive test result when they do not have the disease.
Researchers studied the outcome of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing, which shows the amount of a protein produced by prostate cells in the blood.
High PSA levels may signal prostate cancer, but the protein may also be raised by infection, a non-cancerous enlarged prostate or even recent exercise.
Read the whole article at Cancer Research UK
Reference
- Kilpeläinen, T.et al (2010). False-positive screening results in the Finnish prostate cancer screening trial British Journal of Cancer DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605512
12. 1. 2010 Cancer Research UK
