Doctors Get Guidance on Discussing PSA Test

A medical group has advice for primary care doctors about how to discuss prostate-cancer screening with patients. The new statement comes from the American College of Physicians, the group for doctors of internal medicine. It is based on guidelines from several organizations. The statement applies to male patients between ages 50 and 69. Doctors should talk with them about the risks and benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, the statement says. PSA tests are used as a first screening test for prostate cancer. But a biopsy is needed to find out if cancer exists. Most prostate cancers grow very slowly and cause no harm. However, no known tests can tell which cancers will be deadly. Treatments can cause harmful side effects. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study online April 8. HealthDay News wrote about it.