DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column on PSA testing and have a simple question. You mentioned that a PSA test could do more harm than benefit in men over 75, but since it is a simple blood test, I don’t understand what the harm would be. (I’m 75 years old and certainly plan to live more than another 15 years.) — G.K.
ANSWER: A PSA test is a simple and safe blood test, but the results may put a man onto a pathway that can lead to both benefit and harm, from which it is difficult to step off of.
The goal of PSA testing is to…
