However, there are no guidelines about when to stop screening men for prostate cancer. Badrinath Konety, M.D., is leading a study to assess current prostate cancer screening and management practices for men age 75 and older in Iowa. This is the first such statewide attempt in the United States. There are currently no consensus recommendations or guidelines nationally that address this issue.

In general most men who have a life expectancy of 10 years or less are unlikely to benefit from treatment of prostate cancer. Currently, estimated residual life expectancy for an American male at 75 years is 10.3 years.

The study examines physician preferences in terms of prostate cancer screening and treatment in general and with a particular focus on men older than 75 years of age. The state of Iowa has one of the largest populations of elderly Americans and this population will grow with the aging of the baby boomers.

All health care providers in Iowa who care for older men have been invited to participate in this study. In the first year of the study, participating physicians were invited to respond to a survey regarding their preferences in terms of screening for and managing prostate cancer. The study will continue for three years.

The physicians were invited to participate in a one-day conference featuring several national and international experts in prostate cancer. Several Iowa health care providers, a patient advocate, and an attorney were invited to be part of a Consensus Recommendation Development panel to formulate recommendations for a uniform approach to prostate cancer diagnosis and management.

In the second year, and current phase, of the project, the panels' recommendations were sent to all Iowa health care providers.

In the third, and final, year, a determination will be made on how many Iowa health care providers have implemented the recommendations into routine clinical practice.

The study hopes to determine the current state of practice in screening, diagnosing, and managing prostate cancer in elderly men with the goal that the new recommendations will become widely implemented by all providers in Iowa and ultimately set the stage for national guidelines.

The study's participants seek a more uniform approach to prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment in all elderly men in Iowa, encouraging adequate intervention when necessary and avoiding needless screening in men who will not benefit from it.