What's next? Age 20?
See this Thomas Jefferson University Hospital promotion. Key line:
Prostate cancer screenings are recommended for all men age 35 years and older.
On WHYY radio in Philadelphia, American Cancer Society's Dr. Len Lichtenfeld said:
"The American Cancer Society feels very strongly that men should not be routinely tested for prostate cancer."
Lichtenfeld says free screenings can lead to men being treated unnecessarily for cancers that would otherwise not cause harm. The hazards of treatment include impotence and incontinence. Gil Welch is a senior research associate at the VA in Vermont. He says screening may save some lives, but there is a trade-off for others.Welch: "This potential to get involved with the healthcare system, become a patient unnecessarily and suffer the side effects of needless treatment. And that's why prostate cancer screening has become such a contentious issue because there really are downsides to just looking for the cancer."
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