Periodic analysis of the status of prostate consists primarily of analytical values \u200b\u200bin blood levels of a protein known by the acronym PSA (Prostatic Specific Antigen .) PSA values \u200b\u200bincrease if the patient has prostate cancer , it seems a good indicator for early diagnosis. However, two studies, one conducted in the U.S. and one in Europe, published recently, do not become fully agree the likely benefits it provides regular analysis of PSA in men aged over fifty.
The prestigious magazine " The New England Journal of Medicine " in its latest issue published these two works. The European study, conducted over nine years in seven countries, including Spain, found 182,000 men aged between 50 and 74 who were randomly assigned to two groups, one in which they proceeded to sitemática PSA determination and the other group, considered as control, in which these tests were not performed. The statistical comparative analysis reveals that the PSA would be associated with a relative reduction in deaths from prostate cancer 20%. However, in return, the U.S. study for seven years in parallel, mentioned that although the number of diagnosed cases increased by 22% in the group whose PSA values \u200b\u200bwere analyzed, the prostate cancer mortality was similar in both groups. These discrepancies may be due to many circumstances in each study and course advances in the treatment of prostate cancer. The question is whether after fifty years, the men must go to a urologist to us or not these periodic checks, as women do after a certain age a gynecological exam. It is true that one of the most important problems PSA testing due to its high sensitivity, are false positives, ie cases that reveal levels above what is considered normal (4 ng / ml) and after A biopsy is concluded that this increase is related to a prostate cancer but to other causes. It is also true that early detection at an advanced age may lead to treatments overly aggressive worsening quality of life of a patient who had finished dying of causes other than prostate cancer because of its slow evolution. But in the case of cancer, early diagnosis is the best alternative to cure and the disease must be considered not in terms of population, such as that performed these studies, but each case the urologist will discuss in depth. You know what that "... there are no diseases but sick people." There are alternative tests such as ultrasound or DRE that can help in diagnosis. The point is that over time discover other PSA markers, to help find and diagnose more accurately the presence of prostate cancer and even its possible evolution to design the best treatment. It should be seen as reminiscent Millás in his book "The World" that the doctor should go, especially when you're well. If we read our urologist abnormal PSA values \u200b\u200bin the analytical and will explain how to proceed, there is no reason to worry ... or maybe yes?.
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