Prostate cancer screenings offer limited benefits and ‘substantial harms,’ says doctors group

The American College of Physicians (ACP) became the latest group to ask doctors to be clear about the limited benefits and “substantial harms” of prostate cancer screening before offering their male patients a prostate-specific antigen test. The ACP’s guidance statement, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, also explicitly recommends against screening men younger than 50, older than 69 or with less than 10 to 15 years to live. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Qaseem A, et al. Screening for Prostate Cancer: A Guidance Statement From the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. Published online first 9 April 2013.