We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Prostate-Specific Antigen Testing: Good or Bad?
- Authors
Albertsen, Peter C.
- Abstract
There is solid evidence from both randomized trials and observational studies that screening mammography for women between the ages of 40-69 years contributes to a substantial reduction in mortality from breast cancer; however, mammography screening is far from a perfect test. Sensitivity is often reduced in women with very dense breasts, and lack of specificity results in recall of women who do not have breast cancer for further imaging investigation. In addition, concerns have been expressed regarding overdetection and overtreatment. In this issue, Drs. Bleyer and Kopans express very strongly held differences of opinion regarding the degree of overdetection associated with mammography screening. It is clear from their articles that some of the differences in their positions are based on acceptance of different data as being factually accurate, such as the level of mortality reduction attributable to screening. Other differences are related more to values, for example, the weight of the benefit of a life saved through earlier detection versus the harms caused by stress after having been called back after a positive screening examination when cancer is then ruled out or having treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) that may or may not eventually progress to become lethal.
- Subjects
AGE distribution; MEN'S health; TUMOR classification; PROSTATE tumors; PROSTATE-specific antigen; EARLY detection of cancer; DIAGNOSIS; PREVENTION
- Publication
Oncologist, 2015, Vol 20, Issue 3, p233
- ISSN
1083-7159
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1634/theoncologist.2015-0019