Fears prostate cancer screenings may do more harm than good

 – with shocking study showing one in six flagged cases over 15-year trial were wrong

By FREYA BARNES

Experts have warned that prostate cancer screenings may be doing more harm than good as a shocking study showed that one is six cases flagged over a 15-year trial were wrong.

It was the largest investigation of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test – a screening tool used for prostate cancer in some countries across Europe.

The study found that these PSA tests had little impact on reducing the number of deaths and, in some cases, it missed early detection of some aggressive cancers.

The results also indicated that these tests led to worrying numbers of over-diagnosis in patients.

The study found that these PSA tests had little impact on reducing the number of deaths and, in some cases, it missed early detection of some aggressive cancers (stock image)