London – Prostate cancer guidelines should change so that all men from the age of 40 with mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are offered regular PSA testing to detect early signs of the disease, experts are urging.
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, are calling for targeted screening after finding that PSA testing picked up more dangerous prostate cancers in men with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations than non-carriers.
Testing for the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the general population is not advised, because of the risk that elevated levels can pick out men with clinically insignificant prostate cancers – meaning that men may undergo unnecessary MRI scans, invasive biopsies, and treatments.
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) have been working to understand who is at highest risk of the disease, and who could therefore benefit from targeted screening.