Abstract
To the Editor. —We would like to comment on the Editorial by Oesterling1regarding PSA testing. Oesterling, in recommending PSA testing and surgery, appears to assume that all prostate cancers discovered by PSA testing will act in a malignant fashion and require surgery. This assumption needs to be addressed. First, autopsy studies have demonstrated that many or most cases of prostatic carcinoma are latent or indolent. The incidence of prostate cancer increases from 30% in the fifth decade to close to 100% in men over the age of 90 years. In contrast to this increasing incidence, the cumulative lifetime risk for death is only 2.5%,2and the average 5-year age-specific prostate cancer mortality in men aged 50 through 74 years never exceeds 0.14%.3There are currently no data to show that PSA testing differentiates between indolent and aggressive cancers. Screening for cancer of the prostate will likely
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
