UPDATE - Issue 10 - January 2002
Government announces policy on Prostate Cancer Screening
The National Screening Committee has been considering the strength of feeling about testing for prostate cancer. It recognised that many men are asking general practitioners for a PSA test and that the previous policy did not give clear guidance about how to respond.
The Committee advised that the policy of not testing any men who have no symptoms should change. As a result, Ministers made the decision that men who ask for a PSA test are now eligible for a test, and any follow up necessary, from the NHS.
There is evidence that men are not always fully informed about PSA testing and prostate cancer. Research in the United States found that a proportion of men given full information about the absence of clear evidence of benefit from screening and the evidence that a proportion of men treated as a result of a positive test have side effects, chose not to have the test. The National Screening Committee therefore recommended that the first response to the request for a test should be to provide full information to ensure informed choice.
If a patient requests a PSA test, the GP or nurse will offer the man information about the PSA test and the treatment options if it turns out to he has cancer. There is a short leaflet, a longer leaflet for those who wish to know more, and a web site for those who wish to explore the subject in depth. Details can be found at www.nelh.nhs.uk/psatesting/