Study suggests screening in men with genetic predisposition to prostate cancer is more effective
A new multinational study suggests that regular blood testing to measure levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) is more effective at detecting prostate cancer in men with a genetic predisposition to the disease.
Use of the PSA test as a screening tool for prostate cancer is controversial because many men with high levels do not have prostate cancer.
It also cannot tell the difference between men whose prostate cancer is aggressive and men who will never develop symptoms and do not need treatment.
There are therefore concerns that population-wide screening with the PSA test could lead to over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment in some men, including invasive surgery with serious side effects.
Read the whole article at Cancer Research UK
Reference
- Mitra, A.V., Bancroft, E.K. et al. (2010). Targeted prostate cancer screening in men with mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 detects aggressive prostate cancer: preliminary analysis of the results of the IMPACT study. BJU International DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2010.09648.x
Keywords: prostate cancer screening, genetic predisposition, prostate specific antigen (PSA)
10. 9. 2010 Cancer Research UK
