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Lee Green, MD, MPH
University of Michigan Medical School Ann Arbor

JAMA. 1993;270(11):1315.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.

—Gerber et al¹ conclude from their data that the interval between screenings may be very important in the effort to reduce mortality from prostate cancer. They are appropriately circumspect in cautioning that it has not been demonstrated that screening can reduce mortality, as no prospective controlled trials have been performed. However, they still state that digital rectal examination may not be sensitive enough to detect tumors when they are "potentially curable," and that an annual examination may be too infrequent. They note that the effect they demonstrate may be due to a difference in the natural history of cancers found on initial and follow-up screening but interpret this as suggesting that more frequent or sensitive examination is necessary to detect the "tumors in time to effect a cure."

No screening program can be effective in reducing mortality, no matter how sensitively it detects the target disease, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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