BACKGROUND: Despite the ongoing controversy regarding the utility of @entity263 ( @entity263 ) screening, the prevalence of asymptomatic @entity1 who participate in free @entity263 screening programs is on the rise. However, this increased awareness has not been associated with increased knowledge about the potential limitations of @entity263 creening. We conducted a prospective assessment to delineate @entity1 's motivations for undergoing screening and to determine the impact of screening on @entity458 and on @entity1 's knowledge about @entity263 screening. METHODS: We conducted two telephone interviews with a group of 136 @entity1 registered to undergo free @entity263 screening at two hospital-based sites. The first interview was conducted before screening and the second interview followed receipt of the screening results. Interviews assessed demographics and screening history, reasons for undergoing the current screening, @entity5 , knowledge of risk factors for @entity263 , and knowledge of the benefits and limitations of screening. Only @entity1 with normal screening results were included in these analyses. RESULTS: "Seeking peace of mind @entity263 " was rated as the most important reason for undergoing screening. @entity263 -related distress decreased following receipt of a negative result (P < 0.01). Stratified analyses indicated that this was particularly true among younger @entity1 and African American @entity1 (both Ps < 0.001). Awareness of the benefits of screening was very high, but awareness of limitations was low, with fewer limitations reported following screening compared with prescreening (P < 0.01). Although awareness of the established risk factors improved following screening, controversial risk factors (i.e., those with limited empirical support) and factors that were unrelated to @entity263 risk were also rated as more important in the development of @entity263 than they were before screening (all Ps < 0.05). Therefore, the results may reflect that following screening, @entity1 were simply more likely to endorse plausible risk factors, rather than actually reflecting an increase in @entity1 ' knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the importance of developing informed consent procedures and educational programs for the asymptomatic @entity1 who participate in free prostate screening programs each year, as the decision to be screened is being made without the benefit of a full understanding of the current state of medical knowledge about @entity263 screening. Until the definitive results of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and @entity43 Screening Trial are available, improved @entity1 education is needed to assist @entity1 in making screening decisions consistent with their own preferences.

Impact of undergoing @entity263 screening on XXXX -related knowledge and distress.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['participants', 'patient', 'men'] @entity43 :: ('MESH:D010051', 'Disease') :: ['Ovarian Cancer'] @entity263 :: ('MESH:D011471', 'Disease') :: ['about prostate cancer', 'PCa', 'prostate carcinoma'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['cancer-related and general psychological distress'] @entity458 :: ('MESH:D020018', 'Disease') :: ['psychological distress']
@entity263 :: (MESH:D011471,Disease) :: ['prostate carcinoma']
