Prostate cancer is, after skin cancer, the most frequent cancer in men. Until a few years ago, men aged 50 years and older were recommended an annual PSA analysis. However, the debate about the convenience of this type of screening has intensified as scientific evidence about the benefits (decrease in mortality) and risks (complications associated with overdiagnosis and overtreatment) increased.


The study includes the perception of 114 family physicians from 15 Catalan health centers and 227 physicians from Spanish clinical laboratories. In the last year in Catalonia, PSA was requested as an opportunistic screening for 15% of asymptomatic healthy men over 50 years of age. Approximately 60% of these requests were induced by the patients themselves. The current recommendation is to share the decision to analyze the PSA between well-informed patients and their doctors, after jointly assessing associated risks and benefits.


The professionals of the entity that sign the article are: Antonio Arevalo, José María Caballero, Mar Delgado, Montse Gavagnach, Nuria Giménez, Rabee Kazan, Marc Matarrodona, Bernat de Pablo, Dolores Ruiz and Marta Serra.