Prostate cancer screening can save lives but ‘absolute benefit is small’, study says

Although blood test reduces deaths by two for every 1,000 men screened, many could face unnecessary treatment

Screening for prostate cancer with a blood test can save men’s lives, but the “absolute benefit is small” and many men could face unnecessary treatment and medical complications, according to the most comprehensive study yet.

In a review that analysed six trials involving nearly 800,000 men, screening with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test reduced prostate cancer deaths by two for every 1,000 men screened, meaning 500 men must be screened to prevent one death from the disease.