The PSA or Prostate Specific Antigen test has been criticized for being promoted too much, causing men to have too many procedures without solid proof of the benefits. The Prostate-Specific Antigen Best Practice Statement: 2009 Update urged caution when reviewing PSA test results so that physicians and patients don’t rush into surgery or treatment. 
It’s surprising then that results from a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that there is a much higher benefit in terms of reduced death from early surgical intervention for men younger than 65 with low risk of the disease. This is probably not what a young man discovering he may have prostate cancer wants to hear because there is a well-founded fear of loss of potency and other serious and unpleasant side effects.
Previous studies had not found similar positive results and encouraged a “watchful waiting” approach. Monitoring PSA levels over time was viewed as the best way to manage possible early prostate cancer. It appears that it’s time to reassess the standard practice and be more aggressive. The results of the study found a 50% reduction in the relative risk of prostate cancer death at 15 years. If it were me, I would definitely go for more aggressiveness in exchange for side effects. But everyone will have to make their own decision about going under the knife and possibly sacrificing years of impotence. It comes down to what’s the most important thing in your life: Living or the joy of playing at making new life!
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
