prostate [roblems, part 2

A U.S. panel of experts last week said PSA screening for prostate cancer is not likely to benefit men over age 75 and is not recommended for them. The panel said more evidence is needed to determine whether younger men benefit from early detection of this usually slow-developing form of cancer.

But researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston this week said men who had been screened for a longer period of time using PSA tests were less likely to have more serious features of prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis.

Holmberg said the watchful waiting approach assessed in the study may be outdated, with "active surveillance" now favored by some as an alternative to aggressive surgical treatment. With active surveillance, doctors more closely monitor a patient's condition in deciding if treatment is merited.

With PSA screening finding tumors so early on, Holmberg said it is possible "up to 50 or even 100" men would need to have surgery in order to avert one prostate cancer death.

Q & A Prostate cancer

• How many men die
from it?
• What causes it?
• What are the symptoms?
• Can it be prevented?
• How is it diagnosed?
• How is it treated?


An estimated 28,900 American men will die from prostate cancer in 2003. After lung cancer, it is the second most common cause of cancer mortality in U.S. men, accounting for 11 percent of cancer deaths. About 90 percent of men with prostate cancer survive at least five years after diagnosis, and two-thirds live 10 years or more. Early detection and treatment boost survival.