Swedish Study: PSA Screening Saves Lives

A Swedish study has revealed that PSA screening can reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer by 1/2.

Study Details

The study, which was conducted by the University of Gothenburg, followed 20,000 men for 14 years; half of the men were offered PSA screening, the other half were not.  After the near decade-and-a-half follow-up, it was determined that the death rate among those who were offered the screening was half of what it was for men who were not offered the procedure. According to the researchers, this is primarily due to the fact that the disease was caught early in those who actually had prostate cancer; this ultimately led to successful treatment.
 
Not the End of the Story

At first glance, the results of this particular research might seem to "validate" the United States' recommendation for men over the age of 50 to be routinely screened.

But, alas, as is often the case, there are two sides to every story.  Critics of routine screening, especially those in European countries, are concerned about the relatively high risk of over diagnosis that such screening presents.  According to a study conducted in the US last year, for every 20 men treated for prostate cancer, only 1 actually benefits from early screening.

And, there's more; over diagnosis, especially when it comes to prostate cancer, can mean that many who have been diagnosed with tumors would not actually suffer any harm from prostate cancer.  However, treating these men means surgery and/or radiation.  The negative side effects of such treatments can be impotence or incontinence, true quality of life issues for most men.
 
The jury is still out on whether or not the benefits of early screening outweigh the risks of over diagnosis, at least among medical pundits.  However, one thing is certain:  prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in men.  Additionally, the American Cancer Society has estimated that in the year 2010 alone, about 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed, while over 30,000 men will ultimately succumb to the disease.