Men get prostate screen, balk at colon cancer test
Last Updated: March 07, 2005



NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men apparently find it quite acceptable
to get a PSA test to screen for prostate cancer, but don't go along
so readily with being screened for colorectal cancer, findings from a
new study indicate.


Dr. Ruth Carlos wants doctors to approach PSA testing as a "teachable
moment" for informing men about tests aimed at cutting colon cancer
risk.

"Men are already paying attention to their cancer risk in one area,"
she noted in a statement. "If we can take advantage of that
consciousness to educate them about another cancer risk, it might
lead to more early detection of colorectal cancer."

Carlos, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and her
colleagues analyzed data from 22,304 men who participated in the 2002
Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey.

The analysis showed that 62 percent of men underwent prostate cancer
screening, while just 48 percent went along with colon cancer
screening, according to a report in the Journal of the American
College of Surgeons.

The team found that men who had a PSA test were three times more
likely to get a colon cancer test.

"If we can turn the PSA test into an opportunity to encourage men to
get their colons checked too, it would take advantage of the public
demand for PSA testing," said Carlos.

She also pointed out that colorectal screening might pay bigger
dividends than prostate screening. "Colon cancer screening is proven
to be effective at reducing deaths from colon cancer, while the
effectiveness of the PSA test in reducing mortality continues to be
debated," Carlos explained.





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