Men Not Being Told Enough About PSA Tests

(HealthDay News) -- Most men are not being told the pros and cons of PSA tests, two new studies find.

Although PSA tests can detect prostate cancer, they can't predict which cancers are aggressive and which are so slow-growing that they don't need to be treated. This leads to overtreatment, which can have immediate consequences, such as impotence and incontinence, and only a tiny increase in survival, researchers say.

"Men in the United States have not been adequately told about the questions regarding the efficacy of prostate cancer screening," said Dr. Otis W. Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, who was not involved in either study.

"They have been misled and over-promised," he said. "People have replaced the hope that prostate cancer screening is beneficial with the message that it is definitely beneficial."

The reports are published in the Sept. 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Read more…

Cardiofy Heart Care Supplement