The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) commends and applauds the Task Force on the proposed revised guidelines and its emphasis on shared decision-making between a patient and clinician. After draft evidence reviews on screening for prostate cancer the Task Force determined that “potential benefits and harms of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)–based screening are closely balanced in men ages 55 to 69 years, and that the decision about whether to be screened should be an individual one. For men age 70 years and older, the potential benefits do not outweigh the harms, and these men should not be screened for prostate cancer.”
PCF has always stressed that the question of Screening is a personal and complex one. It’s important for each man to talk with his doctor about whether prostate cancer screening is right for him, and know their risk factors, such as race – most importantly African-American men who are disproportionately affected by this disease – and family history, to help make the decision right for them.
PCF provides much-needed funding to support researchers who are at the forefront of devising pioneering solutions needed to find life-extending and life-saving therapies in prostate cancer, and is dedicated to identifying new biotechnologies and funding discovery of new tests that are more specific for detecting life-threatening prostate cancers far earlier than the PSA test. Visit pcf.org to learn more about PCF’s efforts and donate to help save the lives of those suffering from prostate cancer.