Screening for prostate cancer ‘does more harm than good – missing deadly tumours’
A major new study has found the PSA test, which men over 50 can ask their GP for, is not beneficial to men without symptoms
SCREENING healthy men for prostate cancer likely does more harm than good, a major study reveals.
Analysis of 400,000 blokes aged 50 to 69 found current tests do not save lives among those who have no symptoms.
Prostate cancer affects around 47,000 men a year in the UK – and kills 11,000.
Ex-BBC host Bill Turnbull revealed today he is battling incurable prostate cancer, just a week after Stephen Fry said he had been diagnosed with the disease.
If GPs suspect a tumour, they can monitor patients with a PSA test.
It measures a protein in the blood that increases when cancer is present, but the results are not very accurate.
The Oxford and Bristol study found death rates were identical among men, whether or not they underwent screening.
But inviting symptomless blokes for a one-off blood test resulted in many undergoing unnecessary biopsies or traumatic surgery for slow-growing tumours which were harmless.
Experts said the check was a “blunt tool”.
The Cancer Research UK-funded study follows a long debate about whether the NHS should have a national screening programme based on the tests.
What are the red-flag signs to watch out for?
IN many cases, prostate cancer does not have any symptoms until the tumour is big enough to put pressure on the urethra.
Some men may experience:
- Needing to urinate more often, especially at night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee
- Weak flow when you go for a pee
- Straining and taking a long time while peeing
- Feeling that your bladder hasn't emptied fully
Currently, any man over 50 can ask their GP for a PSA check.
Lead researcher Professor Richard Martin, from Bristol University, said: “Our large study has shed light on a highly debated issue.
“We found offering a single PSA test to men with no symptoms of prostate cancer does not save lives after an average follow up of 10 years.
“The results highlight the multitude of issues the PSA test raises - causing unnecessary anxiety and treatment by diagnosing prostate cancer in men who would never have been affected by it and failing to detect dangerous prostate cancers.”
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, took data from nearly 600 GP practices across the UK for men aged between 50 to 69.
After a high PSA score, patients are currently referred for biopsies – where tiny bits of tissue are removed for examination.
As well as flagging harmless tumours, the test also missed aggressive cancers.
Experts said medics need a better check for prostate cancer.
The results highlight the multitude of issues the PSA test raises - causing unnecessary anxiety and treatment by diagnosing prostate cancer in men who would never have been affected by it and failing to detect dangerous prostate cancers
Professor Richard Martin
Dr Emma Turner, from Bristol University, said: “Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in men in the UK.
“We now need to find better ways of diagnosing aggressive prostate cancers that need to be treated early.”
The nation’s top GP backed the findings.
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said medics have “long held reservations” about the current test.
MORE ON PROSTATE CANCER
She said: “GPs are working hard to ensure that patients are able to recognise the symptoms of prostate cancer, which if caught and managed in a timely way, can greatly increase their chances of survival.
“The study shows that PSA testing is not sensitive enough to either detect the subtle variations between prostate cancers or exclude clinically insignificant cancers.”
Heather Blake, from Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Right now the PSA test is the best first step we have to indicate that there might be a problem with the prostate in men who do not have symptoms.
“That is why we recommend that men over 50 – and men over 45 if they are black or have a family history of the disease – discuss the pros and cons of the PSA test with their GP so that they can decide if it’s right for them.”