Umeå researchers advise against widespread PSA testing for early prostate cancer detection
NEWS
There is insufficient evidence to encourage population-wide screening for prostate cancer using the PSA test. This is suggested in an editorial published in the British Medical Journal which is supported by an article in the same journal based on research at the Medical Biobank in Umeå.
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland. It is present in small quantities in the blood of healthy men, and PSA value is often elevated in men with prostate cancer and other prostate disorders.
The bottom line, according to the analysis in the journal article, is that the PSA test cannot distinguish between lethal and harmless prostate cancer, and can lead to unnecessary tests and overtreatment of healthy men.
This conclusion is supported in part by a study conducted at the Medical Biobank, Umeå, in which Benny Holmström, Urologist at the Department of Surgery, Gävle Hospital, and several Umeå University based researchers who have examined the PSA test results under the leadership of Pär Stattin.
PSA screening is widely used in many countries, but it remains controversial, and its effectiveness as a screening tool has never been rigorously examined. In this study, the team of researchers set out to assess how well the PSA values predicted a future prostate cancer diagnosis.
Using PSA test results drawn from blood samples in the Medical Biobank several years before diagnosis from 540 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and 1,034 healthy controls, they found that the test did not meet the standards required for a screening tool in order to avoid needless anxiety and unnecessary treatment of healthy people. The authors conclude that additional biomarkers for early detection of prostate cancer are needed before population based screening for prostate cancer should be introduced.
For more information, please contact: Benny Holmström, Chief Physician, Gävle Hospital Phone: +46 (0)70-211 36 16 E-mail: benny.holmstrom@lg.seProfessor Pär Stattin, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Sciences, Urology, Umeå UniversityPhone: +46 (0)90-785 22 91, E-mail: par.stattin@urologi.umu.se
Reference: Holmström B, Johansson M, Bergh A, Stenman U-H, Hallmans G, Stattin P. Prostate specific antigen for early detection of prostate cancer: longitudinal study. British Medical Journal, http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.b3537
