Access to prostate cancer screenings linked to better outcomes
May 15th, 2008 Posted in prostate cancer preventionMen with greater access to prostate cancer screenings and treatment have better outcomes from the disease, a new study shows. Urologist population density was directly related to increased numbers of screening programs and decreased mortality rates from the disease.
Researchers from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, presented data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirming the relationship between access to prostate cancer screenings and better outcomes from the disease.
This new study shows that urologist population density was directly related to increased numbers of screening programs and decreased mortality rates from the disease.
So, it has been established that prostate cancer screening programs result in earlier detection of the disease and, as a consequence, better treatment options and better outcomes for the majority of patients. Study conclusions suggest that prostate cancer screening and the availability of urologic care are at least partly responsible for the variation in prostate cancer mortality rates observed in this country. Researchers say that this study underscores an increased need for screening programs and access to urologists for patients who reside in areas with fewer urologists.
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