A 21-year-old routine prostate cancer screening has been found to be an unnecessary and potentially harmful standard of care, studies by The New England Journal of Medicine and National Cancer Institution reported today.  The PSA blood test, which screens for prostate cancer, “saves few if any lives and exposes large numbers of men to risky and unnecessary treatment,” the New York Times reported.

Throughout the past two decades, experts debated the value of the tool, basing their views on data that often involved statistical modeling and inferences, not hard, evidence-based medicine. The data from these two studies suggest that men should carefully consider the test’s risks and benefits before deciding to be screened.

Dr. David Ransohoff, an internist and cancer epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina indicated that the publication of the data from the two studies is a catalyst for a change in the discussion about prostate cancer. In the New York Times, Ransohoff said, “This is not relying on modeling anymore. This is not some abstract, point-headed exercise. This is the real world and this is real data.”

These studies point out the absolute vitality in using evidence-based medicine for establishing standards of care. Relying on ‘what-ifs’ and maybes, as has been the case of the past 21 years in prostate cancer screening, is an iffy practice, at best. Doctors and hospitals need to join the conversation and establish real standards of care based off of evidence-backed medicine. Using an independent review organization like AllMed can help this process along. The staff at AllMed has at its fingertips a breadth of evidence-based medicine and skilled and knowledgeable doctors who are the best and most well-versed in their fields of medicine.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/health/19cancer.html?_r=1&ref=health