U of C researchers say stop PSA screening
Posted Mar 1, 2016 11:34 am.
Last Updated Mar 1, 2016 3:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Calgary is disputing the value of PSA screening for prostate cancer in men. The study’s lead author is actually advising men to stay away from the test, which measures the amount of prostate specific antigen in a man’s blood.
“Goodbye to the man van,” says Dr. James Dickenson. “Do not go in there. If your doctor accidentally ticks a PSA on a screening test wipe it off before you go. Do not have the test. You’re more likely to be harmed than get any benefit.”
The study says PSA testing causes increases in the number of diagnosis. He says treatment is not only very rarely worthwhile, it exposes men to harm from chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries, especially for those under 70 years of age.
“Because we are screening so much we are finding a lot of what looks like cancer. And we’re telling a lot of men that they have cancer and they need to be treated. So we’re over diagnosing and over treating large numbers of men in order to treat the few that need to be treated. And overall that means screening causes harm, a lot of harm. So we should stop doing it,” says Dickenson.
Admitting he expects howls of outrage from PSA proponents, Dickenson says too many middle aged men are undergoing invasive treatments at the first sign of potential for prostate cancer.
“That anxiety has been generated by a lot of people saying, ‘oh, you’ve got to screen that’s devastating cancer’. The thing is prostate cancer maybe kills three per cent of men, that’s old men, men over the age of 75. And probably, it’s now down to about two per cent. So we don’t need to start screening for something that may be come a trouble, most likely won’t, in old age.”
The PSA test was first introduced as a non-invasive screening tool in Canada in the early 90s. By 2008, Dickenson says countries that used the test saw prostate cancer rates rise and noted Canada’s rates were among the highest in the world.
Dr. Eric Hyndman is a urologic oncologist at the Rockyview Hospital doing research in bio-markers for prostate cancer. He disagrees with the study’s recommendation to do away with the man van. He tells 660 news he still believes men should have a baseline PSA test.
“If you have a low PSA up front and you’re at low risk, then you probably don’t need a PSA every year and you could space it out. However, if you have a higher test than when you’re younger then perhaps we need to do more diligent screening. And that is outlined by a number of other organizations,” says Hyndman.
While he admits men diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer are not going to benefit from treatment there are many others who will. He says the only way doctors are able to identify early cancer is with baseline screening.
