Primary Care Physicians and Urologists Respond Differently to Recommendations Against PSA Screening

Controversy is ongoing about use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing to screen for prostate cancer. In late 2011, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a recommendation against PSA screening for all men (NEJM JW Gen Med Jul 1 2012 and Ann Intern Med 2012; 157:120). To assess the effect of this recommendation on PSA testing frequency, researchers used a national ambulatory care survey to identify 2300 men (age range, 50–74) who visited primary care physicians or urologists for preventive services in 2010 and 2012 (i.e., before and after the recommendation was issued). Men with any prostate or previous PSA abnormalities were excluded.

Between 2010 and 2012, use of PSA testing fell significantly, from 37% to 16%, among …