Frequent PSA Screening for Prostate Cancer Likely Leads to Overdiagnosis

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends shared decision-making about prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer in older men (age range, 55–69; NEJM JW Gen Med Jun 15 2018 and JAMA 2018; 319:1901); the American Urologic Association (AUA) agrees and recommends a screening interval of at least 2 years to minimize potential harms. Some men, however, seek PSA screening more frequently.

Using a claims database, researchers identified 3 million men (age, ≥30; 70% white) with either Medicare or private insurance who had ≥2 years of continuous insurance enrollment after their first PSA test between 2003 and 2019. “High-frequency PSA testing” was defined as ≥3 PSA testing intervals ≤270 days. Men who lost insura…