What Men Should Know About Prostate Cancer Screening Recommendations
Reported by nytimes.com
New screening age guidance
The American Cancer Society issued updated guidelines recommending prostate cancer screening with a blood test every two years for men ages 50 to 69. The test measures prostate-specific antigen, or P.S.A.
A debate over benefits and harms
Prostate cancer accounts for about 2.5 percent of all deaths among U.S. men, but universal screening has long been controversial. Evidence that regular P.S.A. testing benefits patients is somewhat limited.
A shift from earlier advice
Earlier recommendations called for patients and physicians to decide together whether to screen, weighing risks and benefits alongside patients’ values. The new guidance departs from that approach. Dr. Philipp Dahm, a University of Minnesota professor of urology who was not involved in the guidelines, called the change “truly a reversal.”
Key points
- The American Cancer Society recommends screening every two years for men ages 50 to 69.
- Black men and men with a strong family history should start annual screening at 45.
- Screening benefits remain uncertain, while diagnosis and treatment can cause harm.
- The updated guidance replaces an earlier emphasis on shared decisions about screening.