Scientists in Finland working on research into prostate cancer screening have found that for every eight men who undergo the standard prostate specific antigen (PSA) test for the disease, one will test false positive.

The BBC reports that the findings are part of early data collected from the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer, which seven EU countries are collaborating on.

The UK does not currently offer routine PSA testing, but the government is looking into the findings of the screening study, which has already shown that early PSA screening for the disease could cut deaths from prostate cancer by 20 per cent.

However, some experts say that regular screening for men might lead to ‘over-diagnosis’ and some men being treated for the disease unnecessarily. The Finnish team tested participants on a four-yearly basis – and even for men with a high PSA threshold, the results showed that one in eight men could still be diagnosed as having prostate cancer, when in fact he was free of it. Researchers also found that men who tested positive twice and did not have the disease were twice as likely not to return for their next screening, despite the fact they might have an increased risk for the disease.

Study leader Dr Tuomas Kilpelainen said that he did not feel routine screening should be considered until more was known about the costs and ‘adverse effects’ of screening.

Dr Kilpelainen said:

‘If a man has urinary tract symptoms and is concerned he could have prostate cancer, the most important thing is to consult a GP or urologist.’

Director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, Professor Julietta Patnick, said:

‘False positives are an issue for any screening programme, and this Finnish paper is very helpful at gaining an understanding of how they might figure in the context of prostate screening.’

The findings of the study to date are published in British Journal of Cancer.

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