The recent task force’s recommendation* to discontinue PSA screening has shocked the prostate cancer community. Yet with radical prostatectomy rates up 50% over the last five years their desire to apply the brakes is understandable.
No one disputes that PSA testing leads to earlier detection of prostate cancer. In fact, one could argue that the problem with PSA is that it works too well, diagnosing the disease years before we even need to know about it. Attention, therefore, needs to be refocused on how doctors respond to an elevated PSA rather than recommending the end of PSA testing altogether.
Presently, at the first sign of PSA elevation doctors urge immediate prostate biopsy, taking a dozen needle samples of the gland through the rectum. More than a million men undergo this unpleasant procedure annually, risking the possibility of serious infections, bleeding and temporary impotence.
Rather than triggering an immediate biopsy, an elevated PSA should prompt additional testing with urine tests and scans along with thorough patient education about the risks of biopsy.
Moreover, this would be a good time to educate the medical community about how to judiciously use the information PSA provides. We can’t forget the fact that 30,000 men die annually from advanced prostate cancer, and that twice that many are living and suffering from advanced disease including metastatic disease in their bones. We also need to remain mindful that studies clearly show that early diagnosis leading to the selective use of appropriate treatment reduces mortality rates.
*The public may submit comments to the task force through November 8.
No comments:
Post a Comment