USPSTF Recommends Against Screening for Prostate Cancer in Older Men

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has been releasing new and updated guidelines periodically. It grades each of its recommendations according to a system described on the USPSTF website.

In 2002, the USPSTF concluded that evidence was insufficient to recommend any type of screening for prostate cancer (JW Jan 10 2003). The task force recently updated the guidelines after reevaluating data on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test — the most sensitive screening test. They concluded that the evidence remains insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening men who are younger than 75. Recommendation: I (The USPSTF concludes that current evidence is insufficient.)

However, the USPSTF found sufficient evidenc…