An extensive study into the merits of screening men between the ages of 50 and 65 for prostate cancer has found it can cut death rates from the disease by as much as half, Swedish scientists said Thursday.

But the findings don’t necessarily mean nationwide prostate screening programs should introduced, experts said, since they run the risk of significant overdiagnosis of tumors in men who would not have suffered any harm from their cancer.

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg conducted a trial involving 20,000 men who were divided equally into a group that was offered prostate screening and a group that was not.

The screening method used was so-called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, which is widely used in the United States and other developed countries to detect early signs of tumors.

Over 14 years of follow-up, prostate cancer death rates were cut almost by half in the screening group compared with the non-screening group, as men were diagnosed and treated in time to stop the cancer from killing them. [Read more...]