April 28, 2016
Malecare is mostly pleased with the latest response of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to change it’s research plan on screening for prostate cancer. We hope that this new research project will lead to change of the USPSTF “D” recommendation for PSA screening to more useful and lifesaving criteria.
Below is a statement of the changes the USPSTF made directly as a result of Malecare’s and other organization’s advocacy and the advocacy of prostate cancer patients. I also have included a link to the finalized research plans, for your interest.
“The draft Research Plan was posted for public comment on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Web site from October 29 to November 25, 2015. In response, the USPSTF clarified (through the addition of sub-KQs [e.g., 1a, 2a]) that the review of the effectiveness and harms of PSA-based screening and treatment of screen-detected or early-stage prostate cancer will assess for differences within patient subpopulations at higher risk of prostate cancer. The USPSTF also clarified that the harms of PSA-based screening will encompass the harms of diagnostic followup (e.g., biopsy). Contextual Question 2 (originally about treatment preferences) was replaced with a question about the use of informed and shared decisionmaking tools to guide screening and treatment decisions. To further explore the evidence presented by screening and treatment models, the USPSTF added Contextual Questions 4 and 5 to provide context for how the benefits and harms of PSA-based screening may vary under different clinical scenarios. Most of the remaining comments were addressed through minor revisions and by providing further details on the interventions, comparators, and outcomes as outlined in the Research Approach. The USPSTF made no major changes to the scope of the review or the approach to synthesizing the evidence.”
Read the final research plans, here