Kudos to Mona Ervin and her column supporting PSA testing for the early detection of prostate cancer (Oct. 16). Unfortunately, the recent report from the U.S. Preventive Task Force stated that this simple blood test is unnecessary and potentially harmful.

I can affirm from my own medical practice that PSA testing has saved many lives.

The PSA blood test is not perfect (no test is) but it is quite accurate if the reading is rather high or if it goes up during a period of time. It’s the best that is available to detect early, treatable prostate cancer.

This cancer is usually silent at first, producing no symptoms. I recall years ago, before the PSA test was available, that most men would be diagnosed after the tumor had spread. The only treatment was castration.

Now, once prostate cancer is diagnosed, the patient and his physician can decide together if “watchful waiting” is a good option. That is the case when the cancer is low-grade and if the PSA is mildly elevated. More and more men are wisely doing watchful waiting and choosing to not undergo radiation or surgery.

Unfortunately, the committee’s recommendation would deny men the knowledge of whether they have prostate cancer, if it is aggressive, and how it should best be treated.

Joel Olstein, MD, Lewiston