The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has endorsed the new National Health and Medical Research Council NHMRC approved guidelines* for early management of prostate cancer.
The new guidelines align with the RACGP’s view that prostate screening in men using either the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test or digital rectal examination is highly unreliable and not recommended, according to RACGP President Dr Frank R Jones.
“The best way to approach prostate health is for the patient to discuss his concerns with his general practitioner who after careful deliberation, will determine the need for testing or not. In the vast majority of cases it is unnecessary,” Dr Jones said.
Evidence shows the harm of a false positive vastly outweighs the possible benefit. For every 1000 men aged 55-65 who had an annual PSA screening test, 87 will have learned they had received a false positive after an invasive biopsy. For every 1000 men screened, 4 will eventually die of prostate cancer and only one man will possibly be saved through testing.
“The RACGP does not recommend prostate cancer screening in men using the PSA test and we welcome the new guidelines which are quite clear in not recommending it also.”
The NHMRC-backed clinical guidelines for PSA testing and early management of prostate cancer from the Cancer Council have been approved by the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
The RACGP has produced a patient information sheet to help men have an informed discussion with their GP about the risks and potential benefits of prostate cancer screening.
“If patients raise this topic with their GP we want them to have an informed discussion with their doctor.
*To view the new guidelines, visit the Cancer Council Australia website.
The RACGP patient information sheet Should I have prostate cancer screening?