New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) A simple blood test that checks for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a marker for prostate cancer, is safe and sufficient, if done at intervals of every five years, finds a study on Saturday.
Screening for prostate cancer has historically been a controversial subject. While the PSA test has been effective in screening the risk, it is also known for false positives leading to unnecessary invasive treatments and false negatives leading to cancers being missed.
“This is gradually changing due to MRI scans which can avoid unnecessary biopsies and the use of ‘active surveillance’, where men with early-stage cancer are monitored and only undergo treatment if their disease progresses,” said the researchers from Heinrich-Heine University, Dusseldorf in Germany.
The team’s study, presented at the ongoing European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Paris, France, showed that five years is enough to screen low-risk men for prostate.
They noted that the “screening interval for those at low risk could be much longer with minimal additional risk”.
The findings come as a new analysis published in the Lancet Commission on Friday showed that cases of prostate cancer are likely to double worldwide to 2.9 million per year, while annual deaths are projected to rise by 85 per cent — to almost 700,000 deaths by 2040.
The new study included men aged 45 split into three groups. Men with a PSA level of under 1.5 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml) were deemed low risk and followed up with a second test after five years.
While those with a PSA level between 1.5-3 ng/ml were deemed intermediate risk and followed up in two years, men with a PSA level over 3 ng/ml were found in the high-risk category and given an MRI scan and biopsy.
Of over 20,000 men recruited to the trial and deemed low risk, 12,517 have now had their second PSA test at age 50.
The results, also forthcoming in the journal European Urology, showed that only 1.2 percent of these (146 in total) had high levels of PSA (over 3 ng/ml) and were referred for an MRI and biopsy. Only 16 of these men were subsequently found to have cancer — just 0.13 per cent of the total cohort.
“By raising the bar for low risk from 1 ng/ml to 1.5, we enabled 20 per cent more men within our cohort to have a longer gap between tests, and very few contracted cancer in that time,” said lead researcher Professor Peter Albers, from the Department of Urology at the University.
“Our study is still underway, and we may find that an even longer screening interval, of seven, eight, or even ten years, is possible without additional risk,” he added.
–IANS
rvt/svn
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
