A large study by the Cancer research UK covered nearly 600 GP practices in the UK and followed more than 400,000 men aged 50 to 69. “This is the largest trial ever conducted on screening prostate cancer“ said Dr. Richard Roope, lead author of the study.
This trial showed that the number of deaths after 10 years of follow-up was not different among men who had been screened and those who had not had a PSA test – or about three deaths per 1,000 men in each group.
The test misses the subtleties of the disease
For the doctor, the conclusions are final: the screening test for prostate cancer by PSA dosage “is a tool which misses the subtleties of the disease and which hurts men. It is high time to develop more precise screening tools if we are to save more lives”.
The PSA test dose the concentration of a prostate specific antigen (PSA) made by the prostate. Its presence in larger than normal quantities may indicate the presence of cancer. But it can also mark a milder disease which would have progressed without risk to the patient’s health. And at this point, the test is unable to tell the difference, causing anxiety and unnecessary treatment.
Read also : Prostate cancer: still too many screening tests
Researchers admit that the test remains, for now, the only way to screen men who show symptoms. But it should not be routinely offered to men without any problems.
Recommendations which are also those of the National Cancer Institute in France: “The physical (risk of incontinence, impotence, intestinal disorders, etc.) and psychological consequences of the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer can be significant. It is therefore a choice that deserves to be considered. be considered and discussed with your doctor “ underlines the Inca in its brochure for patients.
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