Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42041720›Full record

SynthesisCurrent oncology (Toronto, Ont.)2026

The Benefits and Harms of Screening for Prostate Cancer in Adults Aged 18 Years and Older: A Systematic Review.

Alexandria Bennett, Niyati Vyas, Nicole Shaver, Faris Almoli, Taddele Kibret, Andrew Loblaw, Lisa Del Giudice, Xiaomei Yao, Becky Skidmore, Melissa Brouwers and 2 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Alexandria BennettSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada.
Niyati VyasSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada.
Nicole ShaverSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3210-8895
Faris AlmoliSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-2101-6883
Taddele KibretSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada.
Andrew LoblawEvaluative Clinical Sciences, Odette Cancer Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4883-1781
Lisa Del GiudiceDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
Xiaomei YaoDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1210-3758
Becky SkidmoreIndependent Information Specialist, Ottawa, ON K1T 3Z2, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8293-9238
Melissa BrouwersSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada.
Julian LittleSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-5026-5531
David MoherSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada.

Funding

Public Health Agency of Canada N/A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Given ongoing uncertainty about the benefits and harms of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, this systematic review updates the evidence to inform guideline recommendations for adults aged ≥ 18 years in primary care. We searched multiple bibliographic databases from inception to 30 May 2022, with an update on 24 July 2024, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and comparative observational studies evaluating PSA-based screening with or without adjunctive technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Studies were selected in duplicate, with data extraction and quality assessment verified by a second reviewer; risk of bias and evidence certainty were assessed using study design-specific tools and GRADE. Four RCTs and one cohort study (17 articles) were included: ERSPC, PLCO and CAP compared PSA screening with no screening, while STHLM3-MRI evaluated a risk-based test combined with MRI targeted biopsy. Meta-analysis showed 0.96 fewer prostate cancer deaths per 1000 individuals invited to screen, corresponding to a 12% relative reduction over 9.5-22 years (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.95). One trial estimated 2.3% to 10.3% overdiagnosis over 10-14 years. Overall certainty of evidence was low or very low. PSA screening may offer a small mortality benefit, but uncertainty and variable harms limit confidence, underscoring the need for high-quality evidence, particularly for MRI and risk-based screening strategies.

Indexed as

Early Detection of CancerProstatic NeoplasmsAdultAgedHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMass ScreeningProstate-Specific AntigenProstate-Specific AntigenguidelineMRI screeningprimary careprostate cancerprostate-specific antigenscreeningsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID42041720
PMCPMC13115368

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.