Hi To All,

The American Urological Association (AUA) clarifies its guidance on PSA screening. Please read closely.

Dick G

AUA Releases Statement Clarifying Prostate Cancer Testing Recommendations

The American Urological Association (AUA) today released a statement on
prostate cancer testing, clarifying the Association's recommendations and
support of early detection.

(Vocus <http://www.vocus.com> /PRWEB <http://www.prweb.com/> ) November 2,
2009 -- The American Urological Association (AUA) is aware of recent news
reports disparaging prostate cancer testing. We are concerned that these
reports are causing significant confusion for patients and we wish to
clarify our recommendations on prostate cancer testing with the
prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and digital rectal exam (DRE). The AUA
strongly supports early prostate cancer detection and feels it is in a man's
best interest to consider being tested for prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is most treatable when caught early. Men ages 40 and older
should be offered a baseline PSA test and DRE for early detection and risk
assessment. The future risk of prostate cancer is closely related to a man's
PSA score; men who are screened at 40 establish a baseline PSA score that
can be tracked over time. The AUA strongly supports informed consent,
including a discussion about the benefits and risks of testing, before
screening is undertaken.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), prostate cancer is the most
common non-skin cancer affecting men in the United States. One in six men
will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime-more than 192,000 in
2009. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.

Prior to the emergence of PSA testing, only 68 percent of newly diagnosed
men had cancer localized to the prostate and 21 percent had metastatic
disease. Today, more than 90 percent of these men have cancer confined to
the prostate and only 4 percent have cancer that has spread to other areas
of the body. U.S. deaths from prostate cancer have decreased by 40 percent
over the past decade - a greater decline than for any other cancer. While
the PSA test may be limited because it does not indicate whether a cancer is
aggressive, the test provides important information in the diagnosis,
pre-treatment staging or risk assessment, and monitoring of prostate cancer
patients. It has allowed millions of men to make informed treatment
decisions that may have saved their lives.

The controversy over prostate cancer should not surround the test, but
rather how test results influence the decision to treat. The decision to
proceed to prostate biopsy should be based not only on elevated PSA and/or
abnormal DRE results, but should take into account multiple factors
including free and total PSA, patient age, PSA velocity, PSA density, family
history, ethnicity, prior biopsy history and comorbidities.

A cancer cannot be treated if it is not detected. Not all prostate cancers
require immediate treatment; active surveillance, in lieu of immediate
treatment, is an option that should be considered for some men. Testing
empowers patients and their urologists with the information to make an
informed decision.

The above statement may be attributed to AUA Past President John M. Barry,
MD. The AUA Best Practice Statement on Prostate-Specific Antigen can be
viewed here:
http://www.auanet.org/content/guidelines-and-quality-care/clinical-guideline