Prostate Cancer Charity (UK) does not support PSA test
February 23rd, 2009 Posted in prostate cancer diagnosisAccording to Anna Jewell, head of policy and campaigns at the Prostate Cancer Charity (UK), this organization understands the strong views held by many people that a PSA-based screening programme should be introduced.
The charity does not currently support a PSA-based national screening programme for prostate cancer because the test is not a reliable screening tool and, as yet, there is no scientific evidence that such a programme would save lives.
This is because some healthy men would be diagnosed with a cancer, through the screening programme, and go on to receive treatment – and experience the associated side effects – for a harmless cancer that would otherwise have gone undetected during their lifetime.
Furthermore, the evidence currently available does not clearly show that a screening programme, using the PSA test, would save lives.