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Study Finds Prostate Screening Can Match Mammography on Key Measures, With Trade‑Offs

Presented at EAU26, an analysis accepted by European Urology indicates PSA‑plus‑MRI pathways could match mammography outcomes, with higher false‑positive risks.

Overview

  • Researchers compared 39,392 men in Germany's PROBASE PSA‑plus‑MRI trial with just over 2.8 million women in the national mammography program.
  • The screening pathways found similar shares of invasive or spreading cancers—about 60–74% for prostate versus roughly 73% for breast.
  • PSA testing with MRI generated higher false‑positive results than mammography at about 37–42% versus around 10%.
  • Biopsies prompted by the prostate pathway were far more likely to confirm significant cancer—about 50–68% versus 10% in breast screening—while overall biopsy referral rates were similar due to risk stratification.
  • Prostate screening detected more non‑aggressive tumors (26–31% vs 22%), prompting caution from charities and clinicians about overtreatment as UK officials review whether to expand screening.