Prostate cancer

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Screening of asymptomatic men is not recommended as a priority at the present time.  Many false positives are obtained on screening by digital examination of rectum. Definitive diagnosis is expensive (serum tumour markers, ultrasound , biopsy ) . recent studies raise serious questions regarding the benefits of early detection and surgical intervention before symptoms develop (USPSTF,1989; brawer et al., 1992). In studies in the USA , men of African origin and men with a family history of prostate cancer appeared to be at greater risk; these groups should therefore be given priority for screening (USPSTF,1989)



Resource levels required. Medium for detection by digital rectal examination, high for biopsy; high for surgery.

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