AUA Foundation joins AUA in response to the ACS updated prostate cancer screening guidelines

Mar 3 2010

The American Urological Association (AUA) Foundation joins the AUA in its response to the American Cancer Society (ACS) updated prostate cancer screening guidelines highlighting the importance of shared decision-making between patients and physicians. Prostate cancer testing is not a clear cut issue, and we agree that such discussion is critical to getting men the most objective, fair and reasonable information available. However, the AUA Foundation believes the ACS recommendation that men at varying risk consider prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing at different ages does not fully address the individualized approach required when testing men for prostate cancer and may cause significant confusion for patients.

The AUA Foundation believes that part of the opportunity to make an informed decision with all of the information available includes knowledge of a man's baseline PSA score.  As recent research indicates the prostate changes over time, such a baseline taken at age 40 before age-related PSA increases take place helps men and their physicians better understand possible future results after test-altering changes occur. We therefore stand behind the AUA's research-based Best Practice Statement on Prostate-Specific Antigen recommending all  men 40 and over to talk to their doctors about the risks and benefits of prostate cancer testing, including establishing a baseline PSA score and regular physical exams.

Prostate cancer testing is an individual decision that patients should make together with their doctor, and because every case is different, there is no single standard for treatment that applies to all men, nor should there be at this time. Not all prostate cancers require immediate treatment. But doctors and their patients cannot make an informed treatment decision, including the option for active surveillance, if they never know the cancer is there. Informed prostate cancer testing empowers patients and their doctors with the information to decide what options are right for them.