ACS Prostate Screening Guidelines
The American Cancer Society’s (ACS) latest pronouncement on prostate cancer screening has them pulling back from their past recommendations. They are no longer recommending yearly PSA and digital rectal examinations (DRE) but instead stressing that the patient should make an informed consent in consultation with his physician.
ACS guideline:
Beginning at age 50, asymptomatic average-risk men with at least a 10-year life expectancy should receive information that allows them to make an informed decision, in collaboration with their healthcare providers, about prostate cancer screening
Despite the clear fact that PSA is the most accurate single cancer detection test in oncology, recent complaints about false positive test results (as occurs with all tests) and an inability to differentiate the most dangerous prostate cancers has the ACS backtracking on its prior pronouncements. The America Urological Association (AUA) and the ACS are no longer in agreement about who should be screened. This is a complex issue that even the experts do not agree, making it even more puzzling that the ACS is abdicating its leadership role and now wants to leave this controversy up to the patient. Read more…