Scanning might reduce unneeded biopsies and overtreatment, study suggests
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
(HealthDay News) — MRI screening might greatly reduce over-diagnosis and over-treatment of prostate cancer in older men, a preliminary study suggests.
Compared to the current screening method, MRI can reduce over-diagnosis of prostate cancer by 50 percent, and unnecessary biopsies by 70 percent in men over 70, Dutch researchers reported Saturday at a conference in England.
Prostate cancer is common in aging men, but it’s often slow-growing and non-threatening.
Screening sometimes begins with a blood test to measure the level of PSA (prostate specific antigen). If
