Acta oncologica
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Factors influencing primary care physicians' decision to order prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for men without prostate cancer.
Despite extensive ongoing clinical trials investigating appropriateness of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-screening, the benefit of PSA-based screening for prostate cancer remains controversial due to the lack of clear evidence for effectiveness of population-based PSA-screening. Notwithstanding, the need to identify the determinants behind PSA-testing decisions, the number of studies that have examined factors affecting the physicians' decision as to whether PSA-testing should be ordered are few. The aim of the current study was to investigate how physician- and patient-related factors influence Swedish primary care physicians' decision to order a PSA test for men harboring no symptoms of prostate cancer within different age groups. ⋯ The decision to screen for prostate cancer using the PSA-test is influenced by several factors and not only those having direct clinical indication for prostate disease. This may lead to unnecessary treatment of some patients.