The prostate predicament S ince 1990, cases of prostate cancer have more than tripled, making it the most common cancer in men. But not everyone agrees that PSA tests are right for every man.
Some doctors believe the test leads men to undergo unnecessary treatment.
The problem, they say, is that because the cancer grows slowly and may not spread outside the prostate, some of the tumors detected by PSA tests may never threaten a man's health. And treating the disease doesn't come without risk of severe side effects. Because, say some doctors, it's tough to weigh the pros and cons of treatment objectively if you have abnormal test results. For those reasons, some doctors question whether every man 50 and older needs annual PSA tests, as recommended by the American Cancer Society. But many doctors argue that the PSA test saves lives.