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Aug 5, 2008 7:57 pm US/Eastern
Study: Less Prostate Cancer Screenings Needed
Studies Routinely Show Disease Is "Over Diagnosed"
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
In medicine there is a saying: More men die with prostate cancer than from it.
Even though many older men may, technically, have the illness that may not be the problem.
And on Tuesday came new recommendations that doctors should screen for the illness a lot less.
It's a move that could drastically change medical care for older men. A government task force says doctors should stop screening men for prostate cancer if they're over 75 years old.
"Sometimes, even diagnoses can be associated with side effects and risks," said Dr. Harris M. Nagler of Beth Israel Medical Center.
Studies suggest prostate cancer is "over diagnosed," meaning it's picked up at a point when it has no affect on life expectancy.
In many cases, the cancer progresses so slowly it would never cause symptoms. But treatment does have symptoms, including erectile dysfunction, and bladder control and bowel movements.
"Treatments do have costs, and these costs are not just financial costs to society, but costs to the individual in terms of quality of life and their well being," Dr. Nagler said.
Screening is done with a blood test measuring prostate-specific antigen or PSA levels.
Last year, more than 218,000 men learned they had the disease.
The new screening recommendations don't diminish the importance of the illness.
"Prostate cancer is in fact an important disease and people, unfortunately, still do die from prostate cancer," Dr. Nagler said.
These new guidelines are only for older men without symptoms. Those who go to the doctor with symptoms of prostate cancer, like frequent urination or blood in the urine should still receive screening and treatment as usual.
The new guidelines will not prevent older men from having screening if they would like it. They're also not expected to change insurance and Medicare reimbursement for the annual PSA test for anyone.
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