Controversy over PSA for prostate screening didn’t affect its use: study

Persistent controversy over the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test didn’t significantly reduce its use over the years, a multi-year review of nearly 300,000 visits at UT Southwestern Medical Center suggested.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force’s revised prostate cancer screening guidelines in 2012 recommended against PSA-based screening for detecting prostate cancer. The revised guidelines were based on the conclusion that the harms of test outweighed the potential benefits of early detection.

But, a review of electronic medical records by researchers showed that the guidelines discouraging the use of PSA tests didn’t discourage people from using it, contrary to other findings.

Dr. Yair Lotan, a member of Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern, said, “We used actual, real-world data and found that changes in PSA use, if any, are likely small. Many recent studies have claimed that the task force recommendations against PSA screening have caused a major change in prostate cancer screening.”

Dr. Lotan explained that data sources including surveys that were used in previous studies could be subject to major bias.

A few days back, 50-year-old American actor Ben Stiller claimed that PSA saved his life by detecting his prostate cancer in an early state. Stiller revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June 2014. He stressed that he decided to share his experience in order to help other victims.