Prostate news article, March 2008
WHY MEN IN THE UNITED KINGDOM STILL WANT THE PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN TEST Oxford researchers analyse British men's views Information provided by UroToday via newsfeed service. |
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UroToday.com - In a report in the January 2008 issue of Qualitative
Health Research, an Oxford University team of sociologists led by Alison
Chapple analyzed British men's views and experiences regarding PSA screening.
The UK has no formal national screening program for prostate cancer
(CaP) but in 2001 the UK Department of Health introduced the Prostate
Cancer Risk Management Program (PCRMP), which gives men access to the
PSA test if they are first informed about its benefits and limitations.
All general practitioners in UK received information about the PCRMP.
The authors who have previously reported on British men's views on heath
screening sought to explore men's views since the PCRMP was introduced.
The objectives of the research was to explore men's understanding of
the PSA test, their perceptions of the information they received, the
factors that they said influenced them when deciding whether to have
a test, and their understanding of the results. The analysis included
30 men who underwent 1-2 hour interviews in their homes. Participant
range was ages 40-78, almost all were white and most were recruited
via their general practitioner
Overall, the views were similar to those noted prior to the introduction
of the PCRMP:
- Most men described having been given little information and were encouraged by wives, friends, and the media to have the test.
- Three aspects dominated the views of the men interviewed;
- that PSA is perceived and approached by men and doctors as "just another blood test"
- that any testing for cancer is responsible health behavior
- that there is a lack of communication about the uncertainty that is inherent in the test and treatment options.
- Some men viewed PSA screening as civic duty to advance medical science, others as prevention is better than cure.
- Overall however, men interviewed were still unsure about the meaning of the PSA test and received little information from their general practitioners.
- Men often seemed unprepared for the possible adverse consequences of having the test, including the uncertainties about the value of treatment.
Qual Health Res. 18(1): 56-64, January 2008
DOI: 10.1177/1049732307309000
Reported by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Christopher P. Evans, MD, FACS Professor & Chairman, Department of Urology University of California, Davis, School of Medicine Sacramento, CA
UroToday - the only urology website with original content written by global urology key opinion leaders actively engaged in clinical practice. from UroToday, go to: www.urotoday.com. To access the latest urology news releases from UroToday go to: www.urotoday.com.