PSA test.

In the past I have read letters by Dr Ablin explaining that PSA testing was never meant to be a test for prostate cancer.

I have just read this post on another forum which confirms what my GP told me...

An apology to millions of man who died unnecessarily given by the person who invented the PSA screening test

Every year, more than a million men undergo painful needle biopsies for prostate cancer, and upward of 100,000 have radical prostatectomy’s, resulting in incontinence and impotence. But the shocking fact is that most of these men would never have died from this common form of cancer, which frequently grows so slowly that it never even leaves the prostate. How did we get to a point where so many unnecessary tests and surgeries are being done? In The Great Prostate Hoax, Richard J. Ablin exposes how a discovery he made in 1970, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), was co-opted by the pharmaceutical industry into a multibillion-dollar business. He shows how his discovery of PSA was never meant to be used for screening prostate cancer, and yet nonetheless the test was patented and eventually approved by the FDA in 1994. Now, doctors and victims are beginning to speak out about the harm of the test, and beginning to search for a true prostate cancer-specific marker.



Doubtless somebody will point out how they were saved by having a PSA test and of course there will always be exceptions to any rule. My GP said that they would not carry out a PSA test unless there was a very strong suspicion of a prostate problem.

Re: PSA test.

Routinely PSA screening all men to check their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels is a controversial subject in the international medical community.

In some countries, all men aged over 50 are recommended to have an annual PSA test., however, this is not the case in the UK.

PSA tests are unreliable and often suggest the presence of prostate cancer when no cancer exists (a false-positive result) this means many men often have invasive and sometimes painful biopsies for no reason.

Re: PSA test.

PSA is only really useful in monitoring known prostate cancer. It has been controversial for some time, and in my opinion should not be offered unless there are signs suspicious of prostate cancer. Unfortunately many men want to have it done because they believe it is a screening test, and this needs to be addressed.
Having said that, my brother, who lives in the US where routine PSA was done for all men over 50, was diagnosed at 51 with prostate cancer following his PSA and subsequent biopsy. He opted for radiotherapy and brachytherapy (implanted treatment) rather than radical prostatectomy which was recommended. He is now 62 and still disease free. Whether or not it would have progressed is not known, so did he need that treatment? Nobody knows.

Re: PSA test.

PS - GW, I think you have a good GP...

Re: PSA test.

I have a friend whose PSA tests were extremely high and increased on a second test. A first biospy revealed prostate cancer and after an MRI scan a second 24 core biopsy was made. He's now in treatment for prostate cancer and will soon have brachytherapy and radiotherapy. Sincerely hope all goes well for him.
Back to the PSA test - a new test is soon (?) to be licensed:
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/features/lic...rostate-cancer