[SIZE=7]Prostate screening saves no lives and may do more harm than good[/SIZE]
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[li] Laura Donnelly [/li][/ul]
6 MARCH 2018 • 9:03 PM
Screening for prostate cancer does not save lives, and may do more harm than good, a major study has concluded.
The largest ever trial of PSA (prostate specific antigen) tests - which all men over 50 can obtain on request from their GP - found that death rates were identical among men, whether or not they underwent screening.
Inviting symptomless men for the one-off blood test detects some tumours unlikely to be harmful - while still missing others that were fatal, researchers warned.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, follows a long debate about whether the NHS should introduce routine screening, using the tests.
Lead author Professor Richard Martin, a Cancer Research UK scientist at the University of Bristol, said: "Our large study has shed light on a highly debated issue.
"We found offering a single PSA test to men with no symptoms of prostate cancer does not save lives after an average follow up of 10 years.
“The results highlight the multitude of issues the PSA test raises - causing unnecessary anxiety and treatment by diagnosing prostate cancer in men who would never have been affected by it and failing to detect dangerous prostate cancers.”
Prostate cancer is different to other forms of the disease in that while some are aggressive, most do not cause any symptoms. Men can survive without treatment.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/06/prostate-screening-saves-no-lives-may-do-harm-good/amp/