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Study raises questions about prostate cancer screening exams

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    New debate over popular test

  • Duration 3:12
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Well there's a -- debate for doctors over one of the most popular tests for prostate cancer every year.

More than one million men undergo prostate biopsies following elevated results in PSA tests.

Now some doctors are questioning just how effective those PSA tests really are.

Doctor Richard for -- is director of the first -- senator for comprehensive Madison and has some thoughts on all this first of all.

The scope of the problem I didn't realize one in six -- will be diagnosed with prostate cancer sometime during her.

-- it's it's a it's a very significant problem not for menace the second leading cause of death every year 240000.

Men are diagnosed with.

Prostate cancer.

And the problem we have is that the tests that we use is not accurate enough right now what happens is.

About a million men every year go through a -- called -- prostate biopsy where actual bit of the tissue from prostate is removed.

Unfortunately only about one in four of those tests actually ends up being positive so many men go through needless testing.

All right but what about the PSA test I was thought that was a pretty good test it's a blood test basically they look for this.

Prostate specific antigen right well the problem with the PSA tests is that while the prostate specific antigen can be very helpful marker for prostate cancer.

It also indicates inflammation with in the prostate itself.

So many men who suffer with benign process that a -- purchase -- Or have crossed the -- it's also have elevated PSAs.

So there are many false positive tests as well so what are you supposed to do I mean there's not a history of prostate cancer and my family but what am I supposed to take away from -- well that's an important point because men who have a history of prostate cancer.

One degree of separation.

From themselves and help a brother a family member of Fowler.

Have a double the risk of having prostate cancer but there's a new test which is available -- PC a three and this is an exciting development.

Recently reporter one of those prestigious Benson in the world of cancer research and they took a thousand man.

And what they did is they correlated it with this PC three PC three is.

A genetic marker and we're we're really -- learning so much more about how the body functions with these markers.

It's a genetic marker which is actually.

More consistent with prostate cancer than it is with prostate health and so when you see it in large amounts in the year and you can actually have a fairly good idea that someone might have prostate cancer in this particular study.

90% of the men who actually had biopsy positive prostate cancer.

Were found to have elevated levels of PC a three OK but are the medical labs routinely screening for that you need to ask for that test correct this is a brand new task this is something that.

We really it's not available it and every doctor's office right now -- you were just getting this research has come out over the last month.

But is very very significant because if we can change this you know we're talking about 750000.

Men might not have to undergo those buyouts.

There -- a lot of complications that can occur with them as wells this is.

Very exciting news couldn't get enough doctor for -- thanks for being with us thank you so much --

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