Faculty Opinions recommendation of Screening for prostate cancer.
TLDR Prostate cancer screening doesn't significantly reduce death rates and has risks like overdiagnosis and side effects.
The systematic review of five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 341,342 participants concluded that prostate cancer screening did not significantly reduce prostate cancer-specific mortality. Only the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) reported a 21% reduction in mortality for men aged 55 to 69. Screening increased the diagnosis of localized prostate cancer but did not affect all-cause mortality. Harms from screening, such as overdiagnosis and overtreatment, were common, with associated adverse effects like infection and erectile dysfunction. Men should be informed of these risks and the lack of significant mortality reduction when considering screening, especially if their life expectancy is less than 10 to 15 years.
