It is important that we all add comments to the “Opportunity for Public Comment – Screening for Prostate Cancer: USPSTF Recommendation Statement DRAFT at the following URL
https://web.archive.org/web/20111210163948/http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org:80/uspstf%5Fform3/
I chose to make the following comments:
I am concerned and strongly disagree with the conclusion the Task Force has made. To reduce the rating to “D” is in direct contradiction to the many studies demonstrating a significant survival advantage from men who are tested as well as being in direct contradiction to the Task Forces’ own conditional statements as to when PSA testing could be used.
A “D” rating recommends that there be no testing. However, your recommendation says that as long as a man has been explained the reason for the PSA test along with its positive and negative issues surrounding the test it should be made available, subject to his approval. A “D” rating does not express this clear message and will make PSA tests unavailable to most men, even if your preconditions have been satisfied.
You have decided to ignore multiple studies1 that have clearly demonstrated that PSA testing saves lives. Instead you are relying on one faulty study (PLCO) where the evidence is clear that the control groups were badly contaminated.
I believe that allowing symptoms to progress to the point that men become symptomatic borders on being criminal. Once symptomatic the disease is no longer curable. Identifying men with disease that is still in the gland and usually non-symptomatic allows curative treatment. How can we deny a man the chance to cure his cancer?
Many men are subjected to unnece