[PSA-based screening for prostate cancer: a comparative analysis]

PSA-based screening has always been one of the controversial topics among urological researchers. In spite of its benefit in detecting early prostate cancer, PSA-based screening may not only result in widespread overdiagnosis and overtreatment of an often indolent disease, which is life-threatening in only a minority of patients, but also subject participators to such complications as erectile dysfunction and incontinence. Besides, whether PSA-based screening can reduce prostate cancer specific mortality has received considerable attention. This review offers a comparative analysis of recent studies on PSA-based screening for prostate cancer.