Current guidelines for the early detection of prostate cancer recommend a biopsy for men whose P.S.A. rises rapidly, no matter what the initial level. But a new study says that the practice does not help patients find aggressive cancers and results in many unnecessary biopsies....
>>>Current guidelines for the early detection of prostate cancer recommend a biopsy for men whose P.S.A. rises rapidly, no matter what the initial level. But a new study says that the practice does not help patients find aggressive cancers and results in many unnecessary biopsies.
P.S.A., or prostate-specific antigen, rises with age, and what is considered normal varies. In general, a level under 4 nanograms per milliliter is considered safe. But even with a normal reading, an increase of 0.35 nanograms per year is widely believed to be high enough to require a biopsy.
**The excerpt is taken from the NYT article, "Prostate Guideline Causes Many Needless Biopsies, Study Says," written by Nicholas Bakalar and linked below. Do click through read more about this change in prostate cancer detection.**
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/health/research/01prostate.html
