Letter: MDs should decide on prostate test
Winthrop-University Hospital is holding a mini-med school adult education program consisting of five classes on five consecutive Wednesdays beginning next week. Each class centers on parts of the body and how they work. Credit: Bloomberg News
As a urologist practicing in Riverhead, I am gravely concerned by the new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force against prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing ["PSA test is useful for careful doctors," Opinion, May 29].
These recommendations do a great disservice to men around the country, particularly those with a higher risk of the disease, such as African-American men, those with a family history of the disease, those who are underinsured and those who live in rural areas with limited access to health care.
The decision to be tested for prostate cancer is an individual decision that men should discuss with their physicians; there is no single standard that applies to all men, nor should there be. No one can dispute that the PSA test has limitations, but when used and interpreted appropriately, the test provides valuable information in the diagnosis, pre-treatment, risk assessment and monitoring of prostate cancer patients.
The American Urological Association recommends that the best decisions regarding prostate cancer testing come from individual discussions between a man and his urologist.
It would be barbaric to universally dismiss the PSA test before a suitable alternative to prostate cancer diagnosis is available. There are many men in this community who would tell you that the PSA test saved their lives.
Dr. Jennifer Hill, Riverhead
