February 28, 2011

Former fed staffer asks: will science finally trump politics on PSA testing?

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Charles Hodges MD

March 7, 2011 at 9:24 am

I am really concerned about having the feds decide anything about medicine that keeps us for looking for treatable disease. PSA as a screening tool is not perfect, but it has saved the lives of several younger men that I have tested over the years. My experience would be considered anecdotal, but for the 40 year old fellow with an elevated Psa who turned out to have Prostate cancer and is alive today, it is 100%. I did the test because of his symptoms and his family history.

Gary Schwitzer

March 7, 2011 at 11:22 am

Of course it could be argued that the example you cite is not – technically – a screening example.
Someone with symptoms and with a family history is in a higher risk category.
Screening – by definition – is looking for problems in otherwise seemingly healthy people with no signs of problems.
The semantics are important.

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