The 16-member U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has concluded that blood tests that may discover prostate cancer are not recommended for men over 75, because the subsequent harms outweigh theoretical benefits. The panel found that the screenings, which only show whether there are damaged cells in the prostate, lead to unnecessary anxiety, surgery and complications which are usually by far more dangerous than tossing the screenings altogether.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said that benefits of treatment in men over 75 "are small to none" and are mostly theoretical. The often encountered harms of treatment are impotence, bladder control and bowel problems, among others. At the same time, there is no actual evidence that the treatment saves the lives of these elderly men.

The recommendation is another nail in the coffin of the prostate specific antigen or PSA, the most commonly used diagnostic tool for prostate cancer. In mid-March, researchers at New York Presbyterian Hospital of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University concluded that changes in biopsy practices over the years have diminished the PSA’s value in predicting prostate cancer. Doctors associated with that study said they urgently need a more effective test than PSA.

According to the latest recommendation coming from the American Cancer Society, men over 50 have to get a manual rectal exam, followed by a blood test to screen for prostate cancer. However, while the recommendation now is that men over 75 should skip PSA testing, the "jury is still out" on men between 50 and 75.

Actor Robert De Niro was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003.