cancer that is not
symptomatic—by age 85, a
risk that is 28 percent to 56
percent higher than that
among men of any race.”
mortality, and cost is well established,
when implemented in
combination with passive
surveillance.
Revised USPSTF Prostate
This further highlights the need for
Cancer Screening Standards
prostate cancer screening among In April, the U.S. Preventative
at-risk populations.
Services Task Force (USPSTF)
released new draft guidelines for
The PSA Test
The Prostate-Specific
Antigen (PSA) test
measures the level of PSA
in a man’s blood. Because
the PSA biomarker is only
expressed in prostate
tissue, it can aid in the
early diagnosis of
prostate cancer.
PSA Testing:
Controversy… or Just
Confusion?
The confusion
surrounding the use of
PSA testing — when to
screen and when not to
screen — continues
because prostate
tumors may be very slow-growing
(in general, about two-thirds of
prostate tumors are categorized as
slow-growing), and require only
monitoring.
PSA prostate cancer screening –
bringing it more in-line with
American Urological
Association and American
Cancer Society recommendations.
(Read more on the draft recommendations at
https://screeningforprostatecancer.org.)
PSA – 15 Minute Results
Testing confusion aside, two of the
benefits of the PSA test are the ease
of testing and rapidity of
results. Patients - tested in a doctor’s
office during a visit - can receive the
results in 15 minutes.
“
This can potentially eliminate the need
for a follow-up visit to review results -
and allow the doctor and patient to
develop a follow-on plan of action - if
any is needed - during the initial visit.
Sekisui Diagnostics recently
sponsored a webcast at Clinical Lab
Products on this topic: Critical
It is important to understand that the
Thinking for Early Diagnosis of
controversy around PSA screening
is not about the PSA test, but rather The 2017 draft recommendations are Prostate Cancer. It is available, on-
based on new findings tracking PSA
demand free (Duration: 1 hour, 5
about when or whether to treat
testing in clinical trials. From an minutes). The webcast - moderated
based on the test result.
April 11, 2017 NBCNews.com article by Steve Halasey, chief editor
Men Should Ask About Prostate Cancer
of Clinical Lab Products. - explores:
Since the FDA approval of the
Test, Panel Advises - 4/11/17 comes this:
PSA test in 1994, the age-adjusted
• The current controversy
mortality rates for prostate cancer in
surrounding screening and
the U.S. have declined 50%. In that
“After following patients for a longer
diagnosis of prostate cancer.
time period, mortality due to
period of time, it was shown that for
• The importance of digital rectal
prostate cancer has declined
every 1,000 men screened, one to two
examination.
more than mortality for any other
lives
were
saved.
“We
are
more
confident
•
Optimizing the clinical
type of cancer.
about the benefits of screening,” said
application of PSA testing.
The value of PSA screening in terms
Bibbins-Domingo. "We now think, on
of early detection of prostate cancer
Read this and other articles at
balance, there is a small benefit.”
and reducing related morbidity,
www.PhysiciansOfficeNews.com
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