Researchers warn link between PSA screening and not dying remains purely observational

A comprehensive new review of Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing found that men who undergo regular screening have a measurably lower risk of dying from prostate cancer, though researchers immediately warned against drawing any hasty conclusions from the fact that the patients are still breathing.

The study, published in the BMJ, analyzed cohort data from hundreds of thousands of men over a 15-year period. While the data points to a 20 percent reduction in prostate cancer mortality among the screened group, epidemiologists noted that the findings are purely observational. Without a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial wherein a control group is explicitly forbidden from surviving, the authors cautioned that the screened patients' continued existence could be influenced by confounding variables, such as diet, exercise, or pure chance.

Reviewers further noted that the study's primary endpoint relied on a highly specific definition of mortality—namely, the permanent cessation of biological functions—which some peer reviewers argued was too narrow a metric to prove clinical significance across a diverse population. The authors conceded that while the screened men did technically avoid succumbing to the disease, further study is needed to determine if they actually benefited from the experience.

At press time, the American Urological Association issued a carefully worded statement recommending that men between the ages of 55 and 69 discuss the potential risks of the PSA test with their physician, urging them to weigh the minor correlative benefit of continued survival against the known clinical dangers of receiving a false positive.