Co-creation in health

Whether to have a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an enzyme made by the prostate, to detect prostate problems and what to conclude from the results may not be simple to answer.

The test simply reveals how much of the prostate antigen a man has in his blood. There could be several reasons why PSA levels may be elevated, including infection, swelling of the prostate gland, and drugs (such as ibuprofen to treat minor aches and pains). These reasons do not indicate cancer. Conversely, low PSA readings are no guarantee of being cancer-free.

Dr. Richard Ablin, who discovered PSA in 1970, stated as follows in the New York Times published March 9, 2010 about PSA testing – “Testing should absolutely not be deployed to screen the entire population of men over the age of 50, the outcome pushed by those who stand to profit. I never dreamed that my discovery four decades ago would lead to such a profit-driven public health disaster. The medical community must confront reality and stop the inappropriate use of P.S.A. screening. Doing so would save billions of dollars and rescue millions of men from unnecessary, debilitating treatments.”