For many prostate cancer patients, new guidance is confusing

The recommendation that fewer men get screened for the disease goes against what many people believe should be appropriate, NPR reports.

NPR: With PSA Testing, The Power Of Anecdote Often Trumps Statistics
Millions of men and their doctors are trying to understand a federal task force's recommendation against routine use of a prostate cancer test called the PSA. The guidance, which came out last week, raises basic questions about how to interpret medical evidence. And what role expert panels should play in how doctors practice. About 70 percent of men over 50 have gotten a PSA blood test. Some are convinced it was a lifesaver (Knox, 5/28).

Reuters: Doctors Disagree On When To Stop PSA Screening
In the new study, researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore looked at how primary care doctors in their university network typically handle the age question. They found, not surprisingly, that practices varied. Of 125 doctors, about one-third said they had no particular age when they stopped recommending PSA screening (Norton, 5/28).