Post by dgriffin on Aug 31, 2009 21:09:50 GMT -5
Study finds prostate cancer test may expose men to unnecessary treatment
Treatment can have side effects for some men that are worse than symptoms of cancer, researchers say
Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the last two decades never needed to know they had the disease, exposing them to treatment that can do more harm than good, according to a new study.
The findings, published in Monday's Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that since a blood test became the standard way to screen for prostate cancer, an additional 1 million men have been diagnosed with the disease.
Because many men are diagnosed with cancer that will not cause symptoms and will not kill them, the screening tests save few lives, the authors conclude.
The findings have reignited a long-simmering debate in medical circles on the merits of the blood test, known as prostate-antigen screening, or PSA. The study also flies in the face of such efforts as prostate awareness month and TV commercials touting free screening tests and challenges the notion that when it comes to cancer, the earlier it's found, the better the prognosis.
"Just the diagnosis of cancer causes a fair amount of anxiety--no one wants to be given that diagnosis needlessly," said Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a researcher from Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, and the study's lead author. "The bigger problem is being given treatment that can't help you, but all of our treatments can hurt you."
Some prostate cancer experts reacted strongly to the study. One said the paper is irresponsible and misleading, leaving men to sift though conflicting messages about their health.
"If you are a healthy man with a more than 10 to15 year life expectancy and you don't want to die from prostate cancer, you should have PSA testing; intelligent testing and treatment could save your life," said Dr. Patrick C. Walsh, university distinguished service professor of urology at Johns Hopkins. "I can't believe this article ever got published."
www.baltimoresun.com/health/bal-prostatestudy-0831,0,965801.story