In reply: The letter by Arnold highlights the practical dilemma facing busy doctors when communicating with patients about whether to screen for various cancers, prostate cancer in particular. There are no easy answers at present, although presentation of both sides of the argument regarding prostate cancer testing helps doctors and patients make a shared decision.1 We believe the following decision-aid show card, written in plain English, is an excellent resource to assist with this: <http://www.cancer.org.au/File/HealthProfessionals/GPprostateshowcard.pdf >.
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- 1 Cancer Epidemiology Research Unit, Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, NSW.
- 2 National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
- 3 University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, QLD.
- 4 Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD.
- 5 School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
Correspondence: dsmith@nswcc.org.au
- 1. Steginga SK, Pinnock C, Jackson C, Gianduzzo T. Shared decision-making and informed choice for the early detection of prostate cancer in primary care. BJU Int 2005; 96: 1209-1210.
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