PSA Testing Found to Reduce Prostate Cancer Mortality

Deaths from prostate cancer (PCa) fell by almost half after 14 years of biennial screening, according to data from a Swedish study. Among 7,578 men aged 67-71 years who underwent screening at least once beginning in December 1994, or as often as once every two years, 1,138 were diagnosed with PCa by the end of 2008. By comparison, 718 controls who were not invited for biennial screening also developed the disease. The absolute cumulative risk reduction of PCa death at 14 years was 0.4%—from 0.9% in the control group to 0.5% in the screening group. Overall, 293 men needed to be invited for screening and 12 needed to be diagnosed to prevent one death from prostate cancer, Jonas Hugosson, MD, and colleagues reported online in The Lancet Oncology.

From the August 01, 2010 Issue of Renal and Urology News