Men often not told of prostate cancer risks: Study

This is so despite the professional guidelines issued that doctors should thoroughly discuss the issue with their patients.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland found in the male reproductive system. The PSA test measures the level of PSA in the blood as the excessive levels of the protein are linked to producing cancerous tumors in the gland.

The test was first made available in 1987, but it has grown extremely controversial because it does not reduce the mortality from the disease. Rather it increases the possibility of side effects like impotence.

A team led by cancer epidemiologist Dr. Richard M. Hoffman of the University of New Mexico Cancer Center, used data from the National Survey of Medical Decisions and conducted a telephone interview with more than 3,000 American adults aged over 40, to explore several medical issues, including prostate cancer.

Out of these volunteers, 375 such adults were chosen by the researchers who had undergone PSA testing previously.

Study’s findings
The findings suggested that 68 percent of the men recalled their doctors giving them positive information about the test, but only 31 percent men recalled discussing the side effects of the treatment with their physicians.

Only 55 percent of the patients were asked their preference about the test and only 14.4 percent rejected the test.

"Our findings suggest patients’ need a greater level of involvement in screening discussions and to be better informed about prostate cancer screening issues," concluded Dr. Richard Hoffman of New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System and his colleagues.

PSA screening leads to an early diagnosis
A previous study states that more than one million U.S. men, who otherwise might not have suffered from any ill effects from the cancer tumors, were being diagnosed with prostate cancer after undergoing the routine screening for the disease.

Therefore, experts still recommend prostate cancer screening in men, especially above 50, assuming that early diagnosis and treatment is better than developing a critical medical condition.

However, they strongly emphasize that the side effects of the screening should be discussed with the patients.

Prostate cancer kills 254,000 men a year, and is the second most common cancer in men worldwide after lung cancer.

The study is published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.