In a new study, a team of researchers highlights the benefits of prostate cancer screening, especially among Black men. Since implementing prostate-specific antigen screening (PSA) in the 80s, there have been controversies as those screenings may lead to over-diagnosis. The authors used epidemiologic data from 30 years of health records to study possible screening related tradeoffs. The study results showed that “for Black men diagnosed with prostate cancer using PSA, the test prevented one death for every eight to 12 men”. The researchers showcase the importance of updating the clinical guidelines, especially guidelines where race-specific recommendations are exceedingly lacking. The study was published in NEJM Evidence on May 15.

For guidelines to be inclusive, changes must also be implemented in clinical trial enrollment. The Food and Drug Administration is working on making the trials more inclusive, as described by Lola Fashoyin-Aje, Deputy Division Director & Assoc. Dir, Science & Policy to Address Disparities, Oncology Center of Excellence- FDA.