Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Prostate Cancer / 24.10.2017
Older Men Continue To Have PSA Screening Despite Benefits Unlikely To Outweigh Risks
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Zahava Berkowitz, MSPH, MSc
Statistician
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The US Preventive Services Task Force 2017 draft prostate cancer screening recommendations suggest that clinicians inform men aged 55–69 years about the potential benefits and harms of PSA-based screening for prostate cancer.
The CDC conducted an analysis using the National Health Interview Surveys in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2015 to describe trends in the receipt of routine PSA testing in the past year by age group (40–54, 55–69, ≥70 years) and by risk group. We compared routine PSA screening among higher risk men (defined as African American men or men with a family history of prostate cancer) with other men. The analysis was conducted because CDC wanted to examine how the guidelines affect men at higher risk. The 2017 guideline did not include specific guidelines for African American men who have a higher incidence of prostate cancer than white men, more likely to develop prostate cancer at a young age, more likely to have a high-risk diagnosis and die from prostate cancer.
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