Experts walk back on prostate screening; men 55-69 should consider it
Men aged 55 to 69 should talk with their doctors about the possibility of taking a blood-based prostate cancer test. The test comes with many potential problems but brings the benefit of ever so slightly reducing the chance of dying from the cancer. That's according to a new draft guidance out Tuesday from the US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts appointed by the government to make evidence-based medical recommendations.
The new guidance is a bit of a walk-back from the USPSTF's 2012 recommendation that all men take a hard pass on the blood screening, called a PSA test. Men 70 or older are still advised to skip. While the USPSTF doesn't address men younger than 55, that group is generally considered at low risk and not in need screening either. But, the new guidance opens the door to screening on a case-by-case basis for the 55 to 69 age group.
For that group, the task force writes in its draft guidance: "the USPSTF recommends individualized decision-making about screening for prostate cancer after discussion with a clinician, so that each man has an opportunity to understand the potential benefits and harms of screening and to incorporate his values and preferences into his decision."
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