Few benefits, many costs associated with changing definition of 'abnormal'...( ve focused on the actual effectiveness ...),Health

ve focused on the actual effectiveness of PSA screening in terms of cancer mortality and survival rates, so setting a PSA threshold to maximize the number of potential cases detected may not translate into saving lives. "The problem is that although it is easy to diagnose more prostate cancer, it is not easy to know who has clinically important disease," they write.

If the PSA threshold level is to be changed, the authors argue that it should be set higher, not lower. "Raising the threshold would enhance the net effect of PSA screening by identifying the people at highest risk of clinically significant disease and thereby limiting the number of healthy people harmed," they conclude. "We believe that lowering the PSA threshold would be a mistake."

'"/>

Contact: Elana Hayasaka
jncimedia@oupjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
2-Aug-2005

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Health benefits, risks weighed for mammography in 40-something women
2. Study finds benefits, less organ rejection using immunosuppressive combination for heart transplants
3. Routine procedure during childbirth provides no benefits, study review finds
4. Nationwide data highlight encouraging trends, staggering costs of ESRD
5. Oxygen trick could see organic costs tumble
6. UGA study finds that violence costs nation $70 billion annually
7. Drug therapy can reduce preterm births and decrease lifetime medical costs
8. Obesity increases workers compensation costs
9. Absence of health insurance coverage costs $1.47B in Maryland
10. New forecasting tool could reduce drug development costs
11. Health care costs for abused women are significant