Dr. Gomella Discusses the Challenges of PSA Screening

Leonard G. Gomella, MD, Bernard W. Godwin Jr. professor of prostate cancer and chairman of the Department of Urology, director of Clinical Affairs, Jefferson Kimmel Cancer Center, explains the challenges that exist with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) based screening.

Many of the controversies surrounding PSA have less to do with screening and more to do with the overtreatment of prostate cancer. The largest debates have been with the US Preventive Services Task Force, which believes that no one with asymptomatic prostate cancer should be screened using PSA, regardless of risk factors.

Gomella explains that most physicians feel there are men who should be screened, especially if they have a family history or are African American. He adds that broadly stating that no man should be screened for prostate cancer unless there are symptoms does not offer the best treatment for patients.