Panel Softens Stance On Prostate Exams
Government Task Force Still Doesn't Recommend Exams
POSTED: 11:54 a.m. EST December 3, 2002
PHILADELPHIA -- A government panel has dropped its objection to routine prostate exams for millions of middle-age and elderly men, saying it's possible they save lives.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has abandoned its position that the tests are not effective enough to justify their cost. But it still stops short of recommending them.
The findings appear in Tuesday's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"While the jury is still out on the value of routine screening to improve health outcomes, patients should talk with their clinicians to make individualized decisions," said task force Chairman Alfred Berg. "Men will need to make this decision based on their personal preferences and values until we have better scientific evidence on whether screening is effective."
Studies in the past 10 years show most tumors discovered during the screenings are so small and slow-growing that they're unlikely to do any harm. And some research shows prostate cancer death rates are generally the same among men who had regular screenings and those who didn't go to the doctor until they developed symptoms.
Other studies say those tested do have a higher survival rate.
Over their lifetime, 15 percent of U.S. men eventually will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, three-fourths of whom will be diagnosed after age 65, according to the task force.
A man in the United States has a 3 percent chance of dying from prostate cancer. Because many prostate cancers grow slowly, many men diagnosed with prostate cancer will die of other causes, especially men older than 65, the task force reports.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has abandoned its position that the tests are not effective enough to justify their cost. But it still stops short of recommending them.
The findings appear in Tuesday's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"While the jury is still out on the value of routine screening to improve health outcomes, patients should talk with their clinicians to make individualized decisions," said task force Chairman Alfred Berg. "Men will need to make this decision based on their personal preferences and values until we have better scientific evidence on whether screening is effective."
Studies in the past 10 years show most tumors discovered during the screenings are so small and slow-growing that they're unlikely to do any harm. And some research shows prostate cancer death rates are generally the same among men who had regular screenings and those who didn't go to the doctor until they developed symptoms.
Other studies say those tested do have a higher survival rate.
Over their lifetime, 15 percent of U.S. men eventually will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, three-fourths of whom will be diagnosed after age 65, according to the task force.
A man in the United States has a 3 percent chance of dying from prostate cancer. Because many prostate cancers grow slowly, many men diagnosed with prostate cancer will die of other causes, especially men older than 65, the task force reports.
Copyright 2002 by Lifewhile.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
