To understand the issues of this bitter confrontation, we must bear in mind the two main reasons behind the discord:
The first is the nature of the test: contrary to what one might think, the protein PSA is not specific for prostate cancer, but simply of the prostate gland. In other words, the rate can rise in simple case of localized infection or presence of a benign tumor. And, faced with a moderately increased PSA, the medical spiral can quickly packed: repeat prostate biopsies to look for cancer cells, proposed as a possible treatment of invasive procedures … not without potential serious consequences, as impotence or urinary incontinence.
The second is that no scientific study has, to date, demonstrated that screening reduced overall mortality. Moreover, this cancer is aggressive in that 10% of cases. On the slow evolution, men mostly die with their prostate cancer, but not because of him. So, under these conditions, is it really useful to make mass screening?
This concept, launched by urologists in the late 1990s, claimed to bring order in chaotic practices. “This test was performed several times a year in some men, not in others. And some cancers were discovered at advanced stages, with metastases. He was trying to frame. That is why we proposed for screening a large population, but targeted to men between 50 and 75 years, “argues Dr. Patrick Coloby today, President of the French Urological Association (AFU), the practitionerhospitalofPontoise. In addition, doctors hoped and ongoing studies on the value of the test to scientifically justify final recommendations.
