As major news outlets are reporting today, two large studies have shown that PSA, the screening test for prostate cancer, saves few - if any - lives. The chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society tells the New York Times the research is "some of the most important studies in the history of men's health," and reporter Gina Kolata says the findings mean "men should carefully consider the test's risks and benefits before deciding to be screened."
One person likely not surprised to hear the news is Stanford urologist Thomas Stamey, MD. Though he published the original findings that linked increased PSA levels to prostate cancer, he later distanced himself from the test. In 2004, he published a study in the Journal of Urology showing that the blood test was virtually worthless for predicting men's risk of contracting the disease. "The PSA era is over in the United States," he said at the time.
