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More Than Half of Survey Respondents Said They Are Concerned With the Accuracy of Prostate Cancer Screening Tests

Posted on: Thursday, 7 September 2006, 09:19 CDT

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- A Harris Interactive survey conducted in July 2006 of 1,000 males age 45 to 70 years found that more than half (53%) of men are concerned with the accuracy of prostate cancer screening tests. While the accuracy of current screening tests is a concern, experts urge that men be screened annually.

"Men with early stage prostate cancer often have no symptoms," stated Leslie D. Michelson, CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research. "In fact, six in 10 men (63%) who hadn't been screened for prostate cancer said it was because they did not have symptoms or did not feel at risk. We need to educate men about the importance of detecting prostate cancer in its earliest stages when more treatment options are available. This is especially true as baby boomer men age into the target zone for prostate cancer."

Although most men (41%) rank prostate cancer above colon, skin and lung cancer as their top concern, only four in 10 men feel they are knowledgeable about prostate cancer. Further, more than half (54%) of the respondents could not name a type of prostate cancer screening test.

The digital rectal exam (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test are the most common prostate cancer screening options. However, an abnormal result from the DRE or PSA does not diagnose prostate cancer; a diagnosis must be confirmed with a prostate biopsy.

"The DRE and PSA screening tools have been instrumental in reducing the number of prostate cancer deaths each year. However, because follow-up tests must be performed after an abnormal DRE or PSA test, there remains a degree of uncertainty, which can lead to patient anxiety," said Dr. Paul Lange, chairman of the Department of Urology at the University of Washington and author of Prostate Cancer for Dummies.

Once prostate cancer is detected and diagnosed, men face a choice between "wait-and-see" which monitors disease progression, and treatment which can affect quality of life. In fact, the survey found that 80 percent of men would be concerned about the impact of prostate cancer treatment on their sex lives.

"A diagnosis of cancer can turn a patient's life upside down and men want to know they are receiving the most accurate information available when it comes to prostate cancer detection," said Dr. Lange. "Currently, tests that look for specific genetic markers are in development that could someday be used to predict the aggressiveness of cancer, monitor therapy and be used for early detection."

"Future gene-based tests will look for subtle genetic changes associated with cancer in cells of the prostate," added Dr. Lange. "It is believed that by using these genetic markers, in combination with a DRE and PSA test, we will be able to provide better detection of the disease."

About Prostate Cancer

One in six men will develop prostate cancer, making it the most common non-skin cancer in America. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 234,000 men will be diagnosed with the disease and more than 27,000 will die from the disease this year alone. Early detection and treatment have been attributed to a decrease in the prostate cancer death rate.

About the Prostate Cancer Foundation

The Prostate Cancer Foundation is the world's largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research and seeks to find better treatments and a cure for recurrent prostate cancer.

The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive and has a margin of error of +/-5%. The survey was sponsored by Gen-Probe, Inc.

Gen-Probe, Inc.

CONTACT: Holly Scott of Porter Novelli Life Sciences, +1-619-849-5382,hscott@pnlifesciences.com, for Gen-Probe, Inc.

Source: PRNewswire

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