Should men be screened for prostate cancer?

Media attention has fallen once again on the difficult issue of identification and treatment of prostate cancer. Walking back from an appointment, Nick Kirwan and I were talking about this, Nick brought up the difference between cancers: the ‘pussycats’ and the ‘tigers.’ Since so many men will have some form of prostate cancer, and treating every single one would probably cause more trouble than it resolves, understanding which cancers need aggressive treatment and which would be better with a ‘watchful waiting’ approach is critical. This is about how fast the cancer is progressing not how serious it has already become. For more on the issue at a high level, check out this article.