Perspectives and Misconceptions of an Online Adult Male Cohort Regarding Prostate Cancer Screening

Abstract

Introduction: Congruent with most guideline publishers, the Canadian Urological Association (CUA) recommends shared decision-making (SDM) on PSA screening (PSAS) for prostate cancer (PCa) following a discussion of its benefits and harms. However, there are limited data on how the general male population feels about these topics. Methods: A survey was completed by 906 male-identifying participants (age > 18) recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), which is a crowdsourcing platform providing minimal compensation. Participants answered questions regarding demographics (15), personal/family history (9), PCa/PSA knowledge (41), and opinions regarding PSAS (45). Results: The median age was 38.2 (SD = 12.0), with 22% reporting a family history of PCa and 20% reporting personally undergoing PSAS. Although most participants had heard of PCa (85%) and that they could be screened for it (81%), they generally did not feel knowledgeable about PCa or PSAS guidelines. Most want to talk to their clinician about PCa and PSAS (74%) and are supportive of SDM (48%) or patient-centered decision-making (25%). In general, participants thought PSAS was still worthwhile, even if it led to additional testing or side effects. Similarly, participants thought higher-risk patients should be screened earlier (p < 0.001). A number of misconceptions were evident in the responses. Conclusions: Men approaching the age of PSAS do not feel knowledgeable about PCa or PSAS and want their clinician to discuss these topics with them. The majority believe in PSAS and would like to undergo this screening following SDM. Clinicians also have a role in correcting common misconceptions about PCa.

Keywords

• PSA
• prostate cancer
• PSA screening
• USPSTF
• CUA guidelines