World-Renowned Prostate Cancer Expert Supports PSA Screening Share on:
Dr. David Samadi responds to final “no” vote from US Preventative Services Task Force regarding routine PSA testing.
Earlier today leading prostate cancer expert, Dr. David Samadi, spoke out on Fox News expressing grave concern about the final recommendation from the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) against routine PSA screenings for healthy men. Dr. Samadi made it clear that steering men away from the only available prostate cancer-screening tool, the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test, is both dangerous and irresponsible.
“The PSA test has undeniably reduced the prostate cancer mortality rate by 40 percent over last two decades,” asserted Dr. Samadi, “this aggressive recommendation to change the way we do medicine will jeopardize men’s lives.”
Speaking from a conference of the American Urological Association, Dr. Samadi’s words echoed the widespread concern of many urologists and prostate cancer treatment experts. As he explained, the PSA test is used to identify elevated prostate-specific antigen levels in men, and is not intended to be the sole prostate cancer diagnostic tool.
An elevated PSA must be monitored by a physician experienced in evaluating PSA velocity over a period of time. One high PSA reading does not guarantee the presence of prostate cancer. Dr. Samadi urges men to discuss PSA testing with their physicians, keep it in their medical arsenal, and always seek a second opinion regarding elevated PSA levels.
In the PSA debate, the potential side effects of prostate removal surgery such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction are often used against the test. Dr. Samadi acknowledges that prostate cancer is “spectrum disease” presenting as low risk in some men and high risk in others. However, very aggressive prostate cancers have the ability to spread quickly and without warning, significantly impairing a man’s quality of life and ultimately causing death.
“Rather than suggesting that men put their heads in the sand and turn their backs on the opportunity for medical knowledge, government emphasis should be on improving surgical technique and advancing the expertise of our prostate surgeons,” directed Dr. Samadi.
Dr. Samadi is a world-leading robotic prostatectomy surgeon with over 4,000 successful procedures to his name. Leveraging the 3-in-1 expertise of open surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and robotic surgery, he developed his own SMART (Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique) procedure. With diligent compliance to post-operative care, Dr. Samadi’s patients achieve exceptional surgical results:
• 97% are cancer-free
• 96% regain urinary control in just 2-3 months
• 85% regain sexual potency in just 12-24 months
By clarifying the role of the PSA test and stressing the importance of medical expertise, Dr. Samadi made clear his unwavering support of the screening tool and the responsible use of the life-saving information it provides. “The PSA test gives men the opportunity for both prostate cancer cure and long-term quality of life,” he concluded.