Shared decision making in prostate cancer screening: An update

Population screening of low-risk asymptomatic men for prostate cancer with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing remains controversial, and mass screening programs have not been implemented. In Australia, if a patient enquires about prostate cancer screening, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) recommend shared decision making, taking into consideration the benefits and harms of, and alternatives for, PSA testing before an informed choice is made.1–3 Recent 16-year follow-up data from the landmark European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) and developments in the diagnosis of prostate cancer with multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide evolved viewpoints.4–6 In this article, the authors aim to highlight these advances for primary care physicians to facilitate the shared decision-making process.