Prostate โCancer โฃScreening Remains Off the Table for General Population, Despite โฃRising Cases
Brussels, November 5, 2025 – Despite a projected increase in prostate cancer diagnoses linked to an agingโข population, widespread population-based screening remains โinadvisable, leading medical authorities confirm. โขWhile advancements in technology have reduced some risks associated with treatment, the potential for overdiagnosis and subsequent overtreatment – with perhaps debilitating side effects – continues to outweigh the benefits ofโ a universal โฃscreening program.
Urologists Andrรฉ Deschamps and Sam Ward acknowledge the progress made in mitigating the dangers of overtreatment, noting โthat newโข technologies have lessened the risks compared to the past. โThough,โ current guidelines โคfrom international urologist associations, informed by recentโข research, do not support a โpopulation study utilizing PSA screening at this time.โ
The concern stemsโค from the inaccuracy of the PSA test,which frequently identifies cancers that โคwould never become โlife-threatening. A โคstudy published in JAMA Oncology (Unger J, โet al., 2024) highlightsโค theโข long-term adverseโ effects and complications following prostate cancer treatment. More โthen โคhalf of men undergoing treatment โfor detected cancers experience unwanted complications,and the risk of these complications remains significant.
Theโค American Urological association/Society of Urologic โคOncology โguidelines โข(Wei J, et al.,โค 2023) support offering PSA โฃtests โto men aged 50 to 69, โฃbut emphasize the necessity of thorough discussion regarding the advantages, disadvantages, and potentialโฃ risks of treatment. Articles in the New England Journal of Medicine โค (Pinsky P, parnes H, 2023) and JAMA โ(Raychaudhuri R, โet al., 2025) โfurther reinforce this โคcautious approach.
Currently,โ individuals concerned about prostate cancerโข can discuss โtesting with their general practitioner, โฃensuring a โfully informed decision-making process. โฃWhile new imaging technologies like MRI are improving the ability to โdifferentiate between aggressive and non-aggressive cancers, experts agree that aโ reliable distinctionโ remains elusive.Consequently, widespreadโฃ screening would likely exacerbate existingโ issues of overtreatment, โleading to increased instances of impotenceโ and urinary incontinence.