(CNN)Actor Ben Stiller revealed on Tuesday he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. The tumor was surgically removed three months later, in September 2014, and Stiller has been cancer-free since.
Stiller shared the news on Howard Stern"s Sirius XM radio show, and in an essay posted online.
"The tests have bad operating systems," Brawley said. "They sometimes miss cancer that needs to be found, and they find cancer that doesn"t need to be found."
As a result of a misleading PSA tests, men may be diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated unnecessarily, leaving them vulnerable to health risks associated with biopsies and surgery.
When men"s PSA levels are tested before they are 50, there may be more chance of error in testing, Brawley said. The average age of men diagnosed with prostate cancer is 67, according to the American Cancer Society.
Along with the physical stress of undergoing screenings, tests and biopsies -- a test "as invasive as it gets: long needles in sensitive places," Stiller wrote -- there are psychological stresses involved with PSA testing. Being confronted with the numbers on a regular basis, especially if they are rising, may cause depression and even suicidal thoughts in men, Brawley says.
Instead of arguing for or against PSA screening, Brawley says he wants a better prostate cancer detection test.
He hopes that the public will read Ben Stiller"s report conscientiously, rather than pushing for testing without considering the consequences.
"The bottom line is, there"s more harm associated with prostate cancer screenings than good," Brawley said.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/04/health/ben-stiller-prostate-cancer/index.html
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