The following is a summary of “Low-Value Prostate Cancer Screening Among Young Men With Private Insurance,” published in the September 2023 issue of Oncology by Lange et al.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening is not recommended for men under 40, but many still get tested. Researchers performed a retrospective study to investigate how often men under 40 get PSA tests, a screening procedure for prostate cancer.
The study was based on the marketScan database and assessed testing rates for the annual population of men at risk. They focused on men continuously enrolled in the database for at least 5 years. The results were categorized based on whether individuals received a PSA test and their age group. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze how diagnoses and CCI (Charlson Comorbidity Index) were associated with the likelihood of receiving a PSA test.
The study involved 3,230,748 men aged 18-39 who were enrolled for at least 5 years; the rates of ever receiving PSA testing were 0.6% for men under 25, 1.7% for those aged 25-29, 8.5% for those aged 30-34, and 9.1% for those aged 35-39. When using multivariable logistic regression, they found that all men aged 18-39 individuals who underwent PSA testing had higher odds of being diagnosed with hypogonadism (odds ratio [OR] 11.77) or lower urinary tract symptoms (OR 4.19).
The study found many young men get PSA tests, even though they are not recommended. PSA tests are often done when men are evaluated for other urologic problems, but they should not be used to screen for prostate cancer in young men.