More debate on if PSA testing needed in older men
February 20, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Researchers are still trying to figure out which men benefit the most from PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing and the latest finding is leaning towards the idea that certain men who are between 75 and 80 years old don’t really need it.
According to a press release issued by Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, "researchers found that men in this age group with PSA levels less than 3 nanograms per milliliter are unlikely to die of or experience aggressive prostate cancer during their remaining life, suggesting that the use of PSA testing in many older men may no longer be needed."
This finding is from a study published in the latest issue of Journal of Urology. The data showed that while men with PSA levels higher than three had higher risks of developing and dying of prostate cancer, only one man who had the lower PSA levels developed a high-risk prostate cancer and none of the men in the study died of the disease.
You can read more in this press release, Prostate specific antigen testing may be unnecessary for some older men.
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Image: Newscom
Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, PSA testing, prostate specific antigen, PSA levels
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Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] done if the cancer was detected that late in life. Cancer Commentary goes over this a bit more with PSA Tesing Debate. My grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the late 80’s and died less than a year [...]