Is screening for prostate cancer worthwhile ?
TORONTO, CANADA. The controversy over the benefits of screening for prostate cancer rages on. Now researchers at the University of Toronto have concluded that testing men with no overt symptoms of prostate cancer is inadvisable. They found that screening often precipitates invasive procedures and that the overall effect on quality of life is negative. Specifically, they found that a one-time screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) resulted in only a very small increase in life expectancy in randomly selected men between 50 and 70 years of age. The increase in life expectancy was far outweighed by a net loss in the quality of life due to complications (impotence, incontinence, rectal injuries) occurring during invasive testing procedures and surgery. Screening with a digital rectal examination (DRE) produced no reduction at all in mortality from prostate cancer. Krahn, Murray D., et al. Screening for prostate cancer: a decision analytic view. Jour
