title: Prostate specific antigen: a useful screening test?
abstract: The role of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a screening test for prostate cancer is controversial. Proponents of screening emphasize that early detection can lead to discovery of organ-confined disease and the potential for cure. Opponents point to the lack of credible evidence that screening is associated with a decrease in mortality. In addition, population-based screening (with subsequent diagnosis and treatment in many men) can be associated with considerable morbidity and mortality in the context of a disease that is often not fatal. This report examines the limitations of PSA as a screening test and supports an approach using "verbal informed consent" to identify patients who should be tested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Concato
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen