Fewer Being Screened For Prostate Cancer After Recommendations
The number of cancer cases, too, has dropped sharply, but questions remain if the death rate from the disease will also slow.
NPR:
Prostate Screening Drops Sharply, And So Do Cancer Cases
One of the most intense debates in men's health has flared again: How often should men get screened for prostate cancer? This debate has simmered since 2012, when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force shocked many patients and doctors by recommending against routine prostate cancer screening. Some doctors welcomed the change by the influential panel of experts, saying it would save many men from experiencing false alarms and potentially serious complications of unnecessary treatment. (Stein, 11/17)
The Associated Press:
Less Prostate Cancer And Screening Seen After New Guidance
Far fewer U.S. men are being diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and getting blood tests to detect the disease since an influential government-appointed panel recommended against routine screening of all men, an American Cancer Society study found. A big question remains: Did that shift have any effect on death rates from prostate cancer, the most common non-skin cancer in U.S. men? About one in seven U.S. men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetimes. While most will die from something else, more than 27,000 are expected to die from the disease this year alone. (Tanner, 11/17)
