What is ERSPC?

The European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) is a randomized multi-center trial with a predefined centralized database, analysis plan and core age group (55–69 years) evaluating prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in eight European countries.

How common is overdiagnosis and overtreatment in prostate cancer?

This stunning observation that at least 92% of men who had a 10-year risk of prostate cancer death of 2.8% received aggressive management, strongly suggests that overtreatment is indeed occurring in this disease….Abstract.

Does PSA have anything to do with colon cancer?

Results Overall, men are more likely to report having ever been screened for prostate cancer than for colorectal cancer; 75% of those aged 50 years or older have had a PSA test vs 63% for any colorectal cancer test (risk ratio [RR], 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-1.21).

Why is overdiagnosis a problem?

Overdiagnosis can harm patients by leading to overtreatment (with associated potential toxicities), diagnosis related anxiety or depression, and labeling, or through financial burden.

Why is overdiagnosis of prostate cancer important?

Patient summary Screening reduces spread and death from prostate cancer (PCa) but overdiagnoses some low-risk tumors that may not have caused harm. Because treatment has potential side effects, it is critical that not all patients with PCa receive aggressive treatment.

Which is worse colon cancer or prostate cancer?

For example, the National Cancer Institute estimates the 5-year survival rate for colorectal cancer is about 65% , whereas the 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer approaches 98% .

How do you fix overdiagnosis?

Preventing overdiagnosis requires increasing awareness of healthcare professionals and patients about its occurrence, the avoidance of unnecessary and untargeted diagnostic tests, and the avoidance of screening without demonstrated benefits.

What are the risks of overdiagnosis?

Overdiagnosis can lead to serious harms—psychological and behavioural effects of labeling; consequences of subsequent testing (including invasive tests), treatment, and follow-up; and financial effects on the individual who is overdiagnosed and on society.

At what age is prostate cancer not treated?

Men between 60 and 69 years of age were more likely to receive radiation therapy than radical prostatectomy. Men between 70 and 79 years were most likely to receive no therapy, and nearly all men over 80 years received no therapy.

Does PSA screening reduce mortality?

A new systematic review and meta-analysis has found that at best, prostate cancer screening using a PSA blood test leads to a small reduction in disease-specific mortality over 10 years, but it is no effect on overall mortality.

Is prostate cancer a painful death?

Many people worry about being in pain when they are dying. Some people do get pain if their prostate cancer presses on their nerves or makes their bones weak. But not everyone dying from prostate cancer has pain.

Is overdiagnosis a false positive?

Overdiagnosis is not a false-positive result. False positives are abnormalities that turn out not to be diseases after further investigation.

Is overdiagnosis real?

Overdiagnosis in psychiatry occurs where patients are identified with a mental disorder when they do not have significant impairment and would not be expected to benefit from treatment.

What percentage of men have elevated PSA?

Using a PSA threshold >10.0ng/mL, the percentage of men with an abnormal result ranged from 0.5% in men age 65–69 to 3.6% in men age 85+.