The American Urological Association recommendation for far less testing of men for prostate cancer is joltingly bad advice that could cost lives, according to Dr. David Samadi of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
"This was a big shocker — that no PSA [test is needed] under the age of 55,'' Samadi told "The Steve Malzberg Show'' on Newsmax TV.
"It's going to send the wrong message to a lot of people out there. Without a PSA, you’re going to have a lot of men in their 40s and early 50s ... have their cancers spread.''
Samadi said the new thinking is that checking a PSA throughout a man's life can lead to some over-diagnosis and, therefore, overtreatment. But that's not a good reasoning, he said.
"Over-diagnosis should not lead to overtreatment. And that’s the reason why patients should know their PSAs and talk to the expert to find when to do the surgery and when not to,'' Samadi told Steve Malzberg.
"With all of the genetic tests that are coming in the field of prostate cancer — major imaging, MRIs — we’ll be able to distinguish and say this gentleman needs surgery quickly and this one we can sit tight.
"But, certainly, giving the message of not getting tested, that’s a really bad message.''
The new guidelines say the PSA test makes the most sense for men from the ages of 55 to 69, and that men over 70, with less than a 10- to 15-year life expectancy, can probably skip it.
Editor's Note: The One Thing You Should Do for Your Prostate Every Morning
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