Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Atencion Primaria logoLink to Atencion Primaria
. 2008 Nov 24;40(7):357–361. [Article in Spanish] doi: 10.1157/13124129

¿Conocen los varones de 50-70 años la efectividad, los beneficios y los riesgos del cribado del cáncer de próstata?

What do men between 50 and 70 know about the effectiveness, the benefits and the risks of prostate cancer screening?

Mireia Fàbregas Escurriola a,b,⁎, Laia Guix Font b, Rosa Aragonès Forès b, Josep Casajuana Brunet a,b, Mar Ballester Torrens c; por el Grupo DECIDIU-PSA*
PMCID: PMC7659863  PMID: 18620638

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the understanding of the population on prostate cancer screening.

Design

Descriptive study.

Setting

Primary care teams in the province of Barcelona, Spain, from april to september 2005.

Participants and context

Men between 50 and 70 years old without prostate symptoms and seen in the clinics of 12 primary care teams.

Method

Systematic sample. Variables: age, marital status, educational level, and self-perceived health status. Appraisal of knowledge through a 14-question questionnaire referring to the key ideas, previously defined by a group of experts, requisite before deciding on prostate cancer screening.

Results

N=221. Mean age, 59.9 (SD, 5.9); educational level, primary or lower: 63.4%; 89.1% (95% CI, 84.4-92.6) did not have sufficient knowledge about prostate cancer screening. In the questions on what PSA is and what it is for, over 50% said they did not know; 63.3% recognised that prostate cancer was a highly prevalent illness; 84.6% replied that early detection of prostate cancer avoids deaths; 49.8% did not know whether the doctor had doubts on this question; and 38.9% thought he didn’t. There were no differences in knowledge for any of the variables studied.

Conclusions

Although prostate cancer screening is widely known about, the information of the population is scant and often wrong. Existing scientific uncertainty on the use of screening is the aspect that is least known by users.

Key words: Prostate cancer, Screening, Health knowledge, PSA, Questionnaires

Bibliografía

  • 1.Lu-Yao G., Albertsen P.C., Stanford J.L., Stukel T.A., Walker-Corkery E.S., Barry M.J. Natural experiment examining impact of aggressive screening and treatment on prostate cancer mortality in two fixed cohorts from Seattle area and Connecticut. BMJ. 2002;325:740. doi: 10.1136/bmj.325.7367.740. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Mistry K., Cable G. Meta-analysis of prostate-specific antigen and digital rectal examination as screening tests for prostate carcinoma. J Am Board Fam Pract. 2003;16:95–101. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.16.2.95. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Van der Cruijsen-Koeter I.W., Roobol M.J., Wildhagen M.F., Van der Kwast T.H., Kirkels W.J., Schroder F.H. Tumor characteristics and prognostic factors in two subsequent screening rounds with four-year interval within prostate cancer screening trial, ERSPC Rotterdam. Urology. 2006;68:615–620. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2006.03.015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Harris R., Lohr K.N. Screening for prostate cancer: an update of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:917–929. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-137-11-200212030-00014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Hewitson P., Austoker J. Part 2: Patient information, informed decision-making and the psycho-social impact of prostate-specific antigen testing. BJU Int. 2005;95(Suppl 3):16–32. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410x.2005.05440.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Casajuana J., Aragonès R., Ariza F. Significado clínico de un PSA elevado. FMC. 2004;11:604–613. [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Chan E.C., Sulmasy D.P. What should men know about prostatespecific antigen screening before giving informed consent? Am J Med. 1998;105:266–274. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(98)00257-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Evans R., Edwards A., Brett J., Bradburn M., Watson E., Austoker J. Reduction in uptake of PSA tests following decision aids: systematic review of current aids and their evaluations. Patient Educ Couns. 2005;58:13–26. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2004.06.009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Fernández de Sanmamed Santos M.J., Ballester T.M., Ariza G.F., Casajuana B.J. Comprensión de un documento que informa a los ciudadanos sobre los beneficios y los riesgos del cribado para el cáncer de próstata. Estudio mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas. Rev Esp Salud Pública. 2007;81:289–305. doi: 10.1590/s1135-57272007000300006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Grup investigador del Projecte DECIDIU-PSA. Presentació d’un instrument d’ajuda a la decisió sobre el cribratge del càncer de pròstata: el projecte DECIDIU-PSA. Butlletí de la Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar i Comunitària. 2006;24:117-21.
  • 11.Grup investigador del Projecte DECIDIU- F PSA. Presentació d’un instrument d’ajuda a la decisió sobre el cribratge del càncer de pròstata: el projecte DECIDIU-PSA. Documento de ayuda a la toma de decisiones para el diagnóstico precoz del cáncer de próstata. Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar i Comunitària 2006. Available from: URL: http://www.scmfic.org/grups_treball/docs/Urologia/decidiu_cast3blau_gran.pdf
  • 12.Gérvas J., Homar J.C. Las hospitalizaciones por Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC) desde el punto de vista del médico de atención primaria. Rev Esp Salud Pública. 2007;81:7–13. doi: 10.1590/s1135-57272007000100002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.O’Dell K.J., Volk R.J., Cass A.R., Spann S.J. Screening for prostate cancer with the prostate-specific antigen test: are patients making informed decisions? J Fam Pract. 1999;48:682–688. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Radosevich D.M., Partin M.R., Nugent S., Nelson D., Flood A.B., Holtzman J. Measuring patient knowledge of the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening. Patient Educ Couns. 2004;54:143–152. doi: 10.1016/S0738-3991(03)00207-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Atencion Primaria are provided here courtesy of Elsevier

RESOURCES