PSA Test a "Public Health Disaster" According to Discoverer

Prostate test 'public health disaster': discoverer 03/10/2010.  Dr. Richard Ablin of the University of Arizona joined the ongoing debate over the blood test, saying the screening procedure is too costly and ineffective. "I never dreamed that my discovery four decades ago would lead to such a profit-driven public health disaster," Ablin wrote in a commentary for The New York Times. Ablin said that as Congress searches for ways to cut costs in the U.S. health care system, a significant savings could come from changing the way PSA is used. "The test's popularity has led to a hugely expensive public health disaster," he wrote. He said the annual bill for PSA screening is at least $3 billion, with much of it paid for by Medicare and the Veterans Administration. Reuters