Why is there controversy surrounding PSA screening?
There is a lot of controversy on the issue of prostate cancer screening, including digital rectal exams (DRE) and PSA screening for several reasons: • Prostate cancer is a variable disease with two main types: one that grows very slowly and is less dangerous, and one that grows quickly, spreads to other organs, and may cause death. The more aggressive type (also called high-grade prostate cancer) needs treatment. What is difficult is that most men have the less aggressive type, and it can sometimes be quite difficult to tell the difference between the two types of cancer from a biopsy (removal of a small amount of tissue for examination under a microscope). • The tools used for prostate screening, DRE and PSA, are rather inaccurate, and that has led some doctors to question whether this is an appropriate way to screen for prostate cancer. • Until recently, there have been no well-designed clinical trials (research studies in people) that have actually proven that screening works in pro
