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New information reinforces the medical community's growing understanding that prostate cancer screenings are less necessary than once thought.
The general conclusion is that PSA testing does not save lives. The study in question followed almost 77,000 males from ages 55 to 74. One group was given annual screenings, while the second group was given regular medical care but was only tested for prostate cancer when symptoms arose. The former group detected more cancers (12% more), but there was no significant difference in the amount of fatalities from prostate cancer between either group.
Researchers believe the reason for this curiosity is that that the cancers screened grow so slowly that by the time they would be found through general medical care, they would not have advanced far enough to pose an inordinate problem.
This study initially came to the same result in 2009 and informed last fall's well-publicized decision by the US Preventive Services Task Force to conclude that healthy men no longer need regular prostate cancer screening through the PSA test, which detects the prostate-specific antigen, which helps identify whether the prostate carries cancerous cells. The 2009 study in question was one of five to influence the Task Force. Last month's new release updates the data as the study continued monitoring the remainder of its subjects.
However, further tests were recommended to determine whether younger men or those at higher risk of prostate cancer may benefit from the test.
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