PSA testing has just been given a fresh ?bill of health.?? According to a new study reported in the Journal of Urology? survival in what is termed this ?PSA era? has ?improved for patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer that has spread to the bones or other parts of the body.? In addition, the report says ?the disparity between African American and Caucasian men has been resolved.?
This news comes in stark contrast to the recommendations of the U.S. Services Preventive Task Force that has come down hard on screening men, suggesting that PSA testing has little or no effect on survival rates.
In this new study, conducted by The Southwest Oncology Group, a National Cancer Institute sponsored organization, results show:
Median survival of enrolled patients from 1985 to 1986 was 30 months
Median survival of enrolled patients from 1989 to 1994 was 33 months
Median survival of enrolled patients from 1995 to 2009 was 49 months
A 30% decreased risk of death was found in the group 1995 to 2009
The lead investigator, Dr. Ian M. Thompson, Jr. , Urology Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, says there has been a decided improvement in the median survival for African American men and that it is now very close to that of white men. Though the earlier results for African Americans was a median survival rate of 27 months the latest median is 48 months. He attributes the upswing to greater awareness of prostate cancer and improved health seeking behavior in African American men.? He says, however, African American men have a two to three-fold greater incidence of newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer compared to white men, which contributes to a similarly increased mortality rate. A greater effort, he adds, is needed to eliminate disparities? in prostate cancer.
Bottom line:? Dr. Thompson concludes?? While not all of these welcome improvements can be attributed strictly to PSA testing, without a doubt it has played a role in extending many lives.?
Source: http://www.prostatecancersurvivorspeak.com/psa-test-gets-new-boost/
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