Should mass screening for prostate cancer be introduced at the national level?

ABSTRACT: This is a Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report whether or not to introduce mass screening for prostate cancer the national level. Prostate cancer is a major cause of death among men, with over 56,000 deaths in the European Union in 1998. There are no obvious preventive strategies, therefore screening has been considered to reduce the number of deaths. Opportunistic screening is widely carried out but there are no known national programmes to screen for prostate cancer. Mass screening should not be introduced at the national level, unless supportive evidence is available from the ongoing screening or treatment trials. HEN, initiated and coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, is an information service for public health and health care decision-makers in the WHO European Region.

http://www.who.dk/Document/E82958.pdf http://www.who.dk/Document/E82958.pdf

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