FREE REPORT. Your key pointers to a life-transforming diet

Find out the best diet for you in one of four free reports we'll give you when you join the WDDTY community. We'll also send you up-to-the-moment health news and advice twice a week, packed full of insights that may well transform your own health.

email to friend Printer friendly

e-news

Psa: a test too far and wide

01 April 1990

PSA (prostate-specific antigen), the blood test that is supposed to detect prostate cancer, correctly diagnoses the condition in just one out of four cases. This alarmingly high false-positive rate, revealed in a new study, throws into doubt the usefulness of the test, which is causing unnecessary distress among men who are mistakenly being told they may have prostate cancer.

The researchers who made the discovery are advising doctors to repeat the first positive test six weeks later before performing a biopsy. 'Even if the repeat test shows an elevated level, prostate cancer will only be discovered in about one quarter of men who undergo biopsy,' said Dr James Eastham of the research team.

In the study, which tracked blood tests on 972 men, blood levels returned to normal in over half the men who had tested positive in the first test.

Many things can raise PSA levels, including inflammation and recent ejaculation. So, even on the second reading, the test can still produce a positive result without there being a trace of prostate cancer. A better prostate test needs to be adopted, and quickly.

(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003; 289: 2695-700).

When the prostate test can be false - The prostate cancer test, PSA, can give false readings if the man has ejaculated in the previous two days. The test can produce a false positive read...

PSA: is this a test that has had its day? - PSA: is this a test that has had its day? The prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test fails to recognise eight out of every 10 cases of prostate ca...

Blood tests - What is a 'normal' blood test, asked a reader last week. Several readers point out that there are so many different types of test, and the laboratory...

Psa: - A test for anyone's belief - Regular readers will know that the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is one of the most useless in the whole armoury of medical procedures. It's,...

Prostate Cancer - The most common cancer in elderly men, prostate cancer depends on male hormones called androgens, particularly testosterone. The usual management of e...

Screening tests don't detect prostate cancer - New evidence suggests that men with early signs of prostate cancer are being missed because screening techniques are inadequate. ...

Prostate cancer: wait and see - The idea of "watchful waiting" as a method of dealing with prostate cancer has gained more ground following a study in Sweden, which has the world's f...

The psa test - Just what is it good for? - Screening for prostate cancer is surrounded by controversy - and with good reason. Although deaths due to prostate cancer have gone down since 1985, w...

The British Institute for the Identification & Treatment of Allergic Disorders

How You Beat Asthma
How To Beat Your M.E.
How You Beat ADHD
How You Beat Arthritis
How You Beat Backpain
How You Beat Depression How You Beat Pain
How You Beat The Menopause
How You Beat Heart Problems
WDDTY Health Shop

Register for our health updates and free gifts.
First Name:
Email: