The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that men over 75 should stop the routine prostate cancer screening since the risks involved pose more immediate danger than the cancer itself, according to media reports Wednesday.
The task force said that screening can detect some cases of prostate cancer, but the benefits of treatment in men over 75 "are small to none, because the treatment often causes "moderate-to-substantial harms," without evidence it saves the lives of these elderly men.
The panel did not recommend for or against prostate screening of men under 75 but suggested that doctors discuss the potential benefits and harms of the test with their patients.
"We carefully reviewed the available evidence to measure the benefits and harms of screening for prostate cancer and could not find adequate proof that early detection leads to fewer men dying of the disease," said task force chairman Ned Calonge.
"At this point, we recommend that men concerned about prostate cancer talk with their health care providers to make a decision based on their individual risk factors and personal preference."
Prostate cancer is one of the most frequent types of cancer that usually evolves at a very slow pace. Most of the men diagnosed with the disease die of other causes than cancer, and many men are suffering of prostate cancer without even being aware.
Most major U.S. medical groups recommend doctors discuss the potential benefits and known harms of prostate screening with their patients and make individual decisions. In 2007, more than 218,000 Americans were diagnosed with prostate cancer, government statistics show.
(Agencies via Xinhua August 6, 2008)