Australia studies talk knowledge, incidence, mortality of prostate cancer

William Atkins
Monday, 15 September 2008 19:52

Science - Health

David Smith, from the Cancer Council NSW, was the lead researcher in the study.

Smith stated, “Whatever its cause, the downward trend in prostate cancer mortality is clearly favourable; the upward trend in incidence may be less so…. Embracing PSA testing as a de facto population-wide screening test has probably resulted in benefits for some men diagnosed with earlier-stage disease but harm for others who were over-diagnosed [with cancers that would never otherwise present clinically].” [AMA]

The conclusions of the authors from their research were summarized in their abstract as: “There was a sustained increase in prostate cancer incidence in NSW after PSA testing was introduced. While falls in the incidence of advanced disease at diagnosis and mortality from prostate cancer after 1993 are consistent with a benefit from PSA testing, other explanations cannot be excluded.”

Additional information about prostate cancer is found at the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia .