Prostate Cancer: Should You Get a PSA Test? | Blogs

This week the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced its  final recommendation against PSA screening for prostate cancer for men of all ages. In 2008 the same panel had recommended against PSA screening for men aged 75 and older, but said the evidence was inconclusive for younger men. Since then, the USPSTF reviewed new evidence on the benefits and harms of PSA testing and the benefits and harms of treating localized prostate cancer. It concluded that, "The harms of PSA-based screening for prostate cancer include a high rate of false positive results and accompanying negative psychological effects, high rate of complications associated with diagnostic biopsy, and — most important — a high risk for overdiagnosis coupled with overtreatment." Read more.