The value of screening for prostate cancer has been a contentious issue within the medical literature for several decades.
At the crux of the matter lies a judgment call of whether the potential benefits of screening, a reduction in prostate cancer and all-cause mortality, outweigh the limitations, overdiagnosis and overtreatment. The study by Schrφder et al. reports 9, 11 and 13-year follow-up data on men participating in the European randomized study of screening for prostate cancer (ERSPC). While the authors report a significant reduction in prostate cancer mortality, they conclude that potential harms associated with screening currently circumvent any recommendation for a population-based approach to screening for prostate cancer.
Written by:
Ilic D. Are you the author?
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Reference: Asian J Androl. 2014 Nov 18. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.4103/1008-682X.142131
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25432497