Few of these men will lose their lives to the disease, and to test and treat them all would be pointless. At UAMS' Arkansas Cancer Research Center, we typically recommend that serum PSA testing be stopped at age 70. The ultimate goal should be to identify those men who are at risk of clinical problems or death from more aggressive tumors, and not to detect and treat cancers that may never cause a problem for the patient. As part of the state's only academic medical center, we are taking steps, through education and research, to help clear the fog surrounding this issue. We are currently looking for new markers for prostate cancer and investigating other modalities to refine early detection.
Education is also a top priority.
As an advocate of early diagnosis, I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve on the newly formed Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group. The foundation's primary mission is to raise awareness of prostate cancer, to support research and treatment facilities, to form support groups for patients, and to advance cooperative efforts between facilities, organizations and agencies. The PSA debate is far from over, but for those of us on the front line, the focus should be on educating our patients and the general public, as well as increasing our own knowledge. Often, the answers we seek can be found not through heated dissension, but in the joining of forces. UAMS' annual free PSA screening will be held September 22 and 23, 2000.