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Prostate Screens In Elderly Men Not Recommended

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Aug 5, 2008 4:04 pm US/Eastern

Prostate Screens In Elderly Men Not Recommended

Reporting
Dr. Maria Simbra
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― A simple blood test called a PSA (prostate specific antigen) can show if a man might have prostate cancer.

"I'm in my early 50's and this is something I really want to stay on top of," says Kenny Day of Penn Hills.

But for some men, the government is no longer recommending the test.

"If you're a healthy man and no symptoms, over 75, there's no good reason to be screened," explains Dr. Ezekial Emanuel on the CBS Morning Show.

Whether to screen older men for prostate cancer has been a matter of some debate. After studying this issue, a federal task force has updated its recommendations. In guidelines published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says the risks of finding a high PSA level outweigh the benefits for men over age 75.

"Even if you detect it, it's not clear that doing a lot, getting surgery or radiation, is going to improve the survival," Dr. Emanuel elaborates.

Prostate cancer tends to be slow growing. A man of advanced age would be more likely to die of a different cause, and treatment of prostate cancer can have unwanted outcomes.

"The risks involve urinary control issues, sexual function issues, short-term post-operative complications," says Dr. Ralph Miller, a urologist at Allegheny General Hospital.

Furthermore, the task force could not find enough evidence that early detection has led to fewer men dying of the disease.

About 220,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. But many tumors grow so slowly they never threaten lives. The current challenge is figuring out which tumors are slow-growing, and which are aggressive. Unfortunately, even biopsies can't provide that information.

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