The following statement about the recent controversy regarding PSA testing was issued this morning by the thirteen organizations , including Malecare

A JOINT STATEMENT FROM AMERICA’S PROSTATE CANCER
ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, AND SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS

Since 1993, when the PLCO trial was started, we have
awaited the results of this trial with eager
anticipation, as have others. The initial report of
the results of this study — and those of a
comparable European trial — published last week in
the New England Journal of Medicine have told us two
things:

* The studies offer conflicting evidence about
the possibility of a prostate cancer-specific
survival benefit associated with the regular use of
prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing and digital
rectal examination (DRE).

* These studies provide no convincing evidence
that mass screening of men over 50 or 55 years of
age will lead to a prostate cancer-specific survival
benefit within 10 years.

We have come together to make two clear statements
about these trials:

* Above all we thank the patients, the
investigators, and the national authorities that
funded these two trials for their efforts. The
development and implementation of these trials over
the past 16 years has been an enormous commitment by
all concerned.

* We enthusiastically support the continued
follow-up of patients in the prostate cancer arm of
the PLCO study for at least a further 5 years,
through 2014, as originally envisaged.

In addition, in the long-term interests of the
health of every man in the USA, and with health
reform recognized as a national priority, we wish to
state the following:

* Every man, regardless of his age, has the
right to know whether he is at risk from prostate
cancer, a disease that still kills over 28,600
American men every year, and many more around the
world. We encourage all men to be proactive, and to
seek out information and support in regard to their
health.

* We shall continue to encourage every man to
discuss his individual risk for prostate cancer with
his doctors, and to request the appropriate use of
PSA and DRE tests until better options are
available. Further clinical action based on results
of these tests is also a matter for serious
discussion between each patient and his physicians.

* We call upon the federal government to
emphasize the need for more research into early
detection technologies and methods that will lead to
better and more accurate diagnosis of prostate
cancer.

* We call upon Congress to increase funding for
the Prostate Cancer Research Program at the
Department of Defense.

* We call upon the National Institutes of Health
to increase funding for prostate cancer research
through the National Cancer Institute.

* We call upon the medical research community to
place greater emphasis on the development of new
clinical tests that can differentiate between those
men at greatest need for aggressive prostate cancer
treatment and those with indolent forms of the
disease who can be well managed without invasive
treatment.

The statement above was approved by the following US-
based prostate cancer advocacy, education, and
support organizations:

* Malecare Prostate Cancer Support
* Men’s Health Network
* National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer
Coalitions
* Prostate Cancer Foundation
* Prostate Cancer International
* Prostate Cancer Mission
* Prostate Conditions Education Council
* Prostate Health Education Network
* The Prostate Net
* US Too International
* Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition
* Women Against Prostate Cancer
* ZERO — The Project to End Prostate Cancer