I understand that the fda recently changed their stanceon routine psa testing for men. has the value of this testbeen over emphasized previously?

PSA: The truth is that while a psa is standard for those who have an enlarged or nodular prostate, a biopsy is the definitive test for diagnosis of cancer. With a psa >10, a biopsy is always recommended with >50% being cancerous. A psa 4-10 usually warrants a biopsy with around 20% revealing cancer. While a psa <4 mostly reveals a negative biopsy, many men with prostate cancer have a psa below 4.

USPSTF, not the FDA: The United States preventative services task force is charged with examining the usefulness of preventative tests in regards to cost. Recently, it stated that it found the evidence for psa was "insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening". Psa value is not in question; the concern is overtreatment. See dr. Catalona's response: http://www.Drcatalona.Com.

Misconcept: Psa is just a test, it is not fair to ask question how a test improve patients survival. We never documented MRI save lifes, but we order them to help us make decisions all the time. Same for psa, the question is what you are going to do if you find prostate cancer cancer through psa screening, it is another complex question, i think we should not stop ordering psa for all american men, but think.