Screening for prostate cancer may not reduce mortality

Screening tests using prostate specific antigen (PSA), with or without digital rectal examination, can increase the detection of cancer, even at early stages of the disease. However, they do not necessarily prolong survival. This is the conclusion of a study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2006;166:38-43).

John Concato and his team of 12 investigators identified 501 patients out of 71 661 patients at 10 Veterans Affairs medical centres in New England who were given a diagnosis of …