Prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening is not a useful tool in screening the general population for prostate cancer

Abstract

This project aims to educate the public about the lack of evidence to support screening the general population for prostate cancer by using blood tests. Simply looking at the financial cost of such screening, one can easily see the great expense in adding just one year to one person’s life. Further review would demonstrate such screening not only is very expensive, but many times causes more harm than good. In a time of great financial difficulty in the United States, it is crucial that the health care industry uses screening techniques that are proven to be cost effective (and improve health outcomes).