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Upcoming chat: What to do about PSA testing

Earlier this month, an influential federal panel rejected PSA screening for prostate cancer, stirring controversy and raising questions. Richard C. Wender, M.D. will answer your questions.

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Upcoming chat: What to do about PSA testing

POSTED: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 4:16 PM

Earlier this month, an influential federal panel rejected PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening for prostate cancer, stirring controversy and raising questions.

Given the trade-offs, men should stop having the screening test, which measures the level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood, said the government-sponsored report, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Urologists and advocacy groups immediately decried the advice - as they did when a draft version was released last October - calling it "inappropriate and irresponsible." You can read more about the decision here.

What should men do?

On Wednesday, May 30 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Richard C. Wender, M.D. will answer your questions in a live chat. Wender is alumni professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

In addition to being a practicing family doctor, Dr. Wender_s major area of academic focus has been cancer prevention and screening. He was the editor of the American Cancer Society Primary Care Physicians Newsletter for 10 years and is now on the Editorial Advisory Board of CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Dr. Wender served as President of the Philadelphia Division of the American Cancer Society and first President of the newly formed Commonwealth Division, now known as the Pennsylvania Division of the American Cancer Society.

You will be able to join the chat by returning to this entry on May 30 at 3:30 p.m.

In the meantime, please feel free to submit questions ahead of time to Dr. Wenders by sending them to checkup@phillynews.com.

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Check Up is your guide to health and medicine across the Philadelphia region.

Brought to you by Philly.com/health and the Philadelphia Inquirer's Health and Science team, this blog covers major health events in our region and offers everything from personal health advice to an expert look at health reform.