This is not the first study or review to recommend against having this test done. As you'll see in the article below, the medical profession opposes what science and results continue to state in terms of the reliability of the PSA Test - http://the-scientist.com/2012/05/22/cancer-test-gets-bad-reviews/


Prostate cancer screening based on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test was given a D grade by the independent group that assesses clinical practice and advices the US government, reported Nature.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends that most men do not get screened via the PSA test, which measures the amount of PSA, an enzyme produced by the prostate gland, in the blood. Risk of prostate cancer increases with increasing PSA levels, but benign prostate enlargement or prostate infection can also prompt an increase in PSA serum levels. As a result, the USPSTF found, PSA screening leads to false positive diagnoses and avoidable complications from biopsies and cancer treatment that may never have been warranted. According to the USPSTF’s calculations, for every 1,000 men screened, 1 life will be saved, between 30 and 40 men will experience erectile dysfunction or incontinence from unnecessary medical treatments, 2 will suffer serious cardiac events, and 1 man will have a blood clot. For every 3,000 men screened, 1 will die from surgical interventions. Given that most tumors detected by the blood test are slow-growing, these risks do not outweigh the benefits, the USPSTF concluded.

Many urologists disagreed with this assessment, however. In a commentary accompanying the USPSTF’s recommendation, published this week (May 21) in the Annals of Internal Medicine, urological specialists argued that screening should be recommended because prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men. The authors argue especially that the USPSTF did not give enough consideration to high risk populations.

“It is inappropriate and irresponsible to issue a blanket statement against PSA testing, particularly for at-risk populations, such as African American men,” the American Urological Association said in a statement. “Men who are in good health and have more than a 10–15 year life expectancy should have the choice to be tested and not discouraged from doing so.” The USPSTF, in turn, argued for more research that could help refine the test, such that it produces fewer false positives and distinguishes more lethal fast-growing tumors from slow-growing tumors with little impact on health.

For years, the medical profession has issued blanket statements about every therapy they use, however. It was a common procedure for decades to take out the appendix anytime a surgery was being preformed in that area, resulting in over 1 million unnecessary surgeries a year. As much as 70-80% of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary, demonstrating the blanket medical approach to treating everything with antibiotics. Now antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria are one of the top 3 threats to human health on the planet. Vaccinating everyone is a blanket approach.

Created in 1984, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF or Task Force) is an independent group of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine that works to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, or preventive medications. The USPSTF is made up of 16 volunteer members who come from the fields of preventive medicine and primary care, including internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, behavioral health, obstetrics/gynecology, and nursing. All members volunteer their time to serve on the USPSTF, and most are practicing clinicians.

The USPSTF panel of experts continues to assess unsafe medical practices in hopes of saving human lives from medical errors. Over 104,000 Americans die each year from medical errors. Another 99,000 die from antibiotic-resistant strains of infections. Another 150,000 die within 30 days of any type of surgery.

USPSTF panel recommendations are based on evidence, not opinion. In the case of the PSA Test, the evidence shows that this test is misused.