TUESDAY, May 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening likely results in a reduction in prostate cancer-specific mortality, according to a review published online May 15 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Juan V.A. Franco, M.D., Ph.D., from the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany, and colleagues examined the effects of prostate cancer screening versus no screening in men without a prior diagnosis of prostate cancer. Six randomized controlled trials, with 789,086 men aged 45 to 80 years, were included in the study.
The researchers found that screening based on PSA alone likely results in a reduction in prostate cancer-specific mortality (rate ratio, 0.87; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.80 to 0.95). This corresponds to two fewer deaths per 1,000 assuming a baseline risk of 16 prostate cancer-related deaths per 1,000. Based on an analysis including all eligible trials, screening may reduce overall mortality (rate ratio, 0.99; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.97 to 1.00). This corresponds to five fewer deaths assuming a baseline risk of 491 deaths from any cause per 1,000. Screening may result in little to no difference in adverse events (rate ratio, 1.32; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.48 to 3.65) and little to no difference in quality of life. There is likely an increase in prostate cancer diagnosis in association with screening, including localized (stage I and II) disease, but not advanced prostate cancer diagnosis.
"We want to be clear that this is not a blanket endorsement of universal screening," Franco said in a statement. "The decision should always be made between a patient and their doctor, with a full understanding of both the potential benefits and the very real risks of overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment."
