Prostate Cancer Symptoms, Treatments: PSA Test Can Lower Risk Of Death, Study Says
Men are now advised to take their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test seriously since it could help avoid the fatal effects of prostate cancer.
A study led by Ruth Etzioni from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle claimed that those who undergo the controversial blood test that aims to detect the first signs of prostate cancer seemed to enjoy a 25 percent to 32 percent lesser risk of death from the disease.
The new study posted on the Annals of Internal Medicine that was conducted by an international group of researchers re-evaluated the data gathered from two previous studies that looked into the effectivity of undergoing the test that measures the person's level of PSA.
At the moment, the U.S. has approximately 161,360 new cases of prostate cancer patients wherein 26,730 men are believed to end up dead due to the disease.
Once the patient was found out to be positive for prostate cancer through the PSA test, they have the option to undergo further testing such as the computed tomography (CT) scan or the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). After confirming the disease, patients will be able to decide with their medical practitioners to get the best treatments that will help them defeat cancer.
However, another report claimed that the test can only help diagnose prostate cancer before the symptoms begin to emerge. According to a statement from the UK's NHS Choices, the accuracy of PSA tests had been questioned in the past.
"There are well-known issues with the accuracy of the PSA test and potential harmful consequences, which is why there is currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK," the organization stated in a report from Express. "Instead, all men over the age of 50 can access quality information about the PSA test and discuss the option of having a free test with their GP as part of a scheme called the prostate cancer risk management programme (PCRMP)."
