Prostate Cancer

The trend towards preventive medicine has led to an emphasis on screening programs. The prostate cancer screening is still a controversial issue with no strong evidence to point to any advantage in persuing this course but the GPs are routinely performing the PSA screening (blood test) in men above fifty years of age. if the PSA is raised then the person goes through the anxiety and tension involved in the process of further investigation. if the prostate biopsy is negative, that by no means is the end of the process and the person has to remain on the razor edge going through the regular PSA evaluation. Newer developments like PCA3 test (urine test) doesnot help for it only gives an indication of probability of cancer i.e. the result interpretation soesnot give a black and white answer whether to do a biopsy or not. various nomograms which again try to use various resk factors to predict the probability of having prostate cancer, this once again only generates a figure the clinician and the patient being left with the responcibility to decide whether to do a biopsy or not knowing that what ever these clinical exams blood test urine test or nomograms might indicate, there will always be a small but significant possibility of missing a patient with significant cancer