[Theoretical conditions for cancer screening. Example of prostate cancer]

Not all cancers are suitable for screening programmes. The disease must be frequent, serious and able to be diagnosed at a stage at which it is curable and an easily acceptable and very specific screening test must be available. The justification for prostate cancer screening is controversial and this screening cannot be recommended on the basis of current knowledge. In this study, the authors evaluated, in the light of the recent literature, to what degree prostate cancer satisfies the theoretical criteria for cancer screening.