PSA screening proven to reduce deaths from prostate cancer, in results from large European study.

Recently released results from a large study conducted by The European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), has shown a 13% reduction in prostate cancer deaths, after an average of 23 years, in men who had repeated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing done.

The study randomly assigned 162,236 men who were 55 to 69 years of age at the time of randomization, to either be screened regularly using PSA level testing, or not be screened.

After 23 years of follow-up, one death from prostate cancer was prevented for every 456 men who were invited for screening, and one death from prostate cancer was averted for every 12 men in whom prostate cancer was diagnosed.

The results of this study are important, for many reasons, including from a funding standpoint in public health. Although this study was carried out in Europe, prostate cancer cases have been predicted to rise worldwide, due to increased population growth and life expectancy. Men of African origin are more at risk to develop prostate cancer, therefore this study's results, should be of interest to Africans and the African diaspora as a whole.

A normal, and an enlarged prostate gland. Checking your PSA level can detect early prostate disease.