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Table 6 Extracts from one case vignette version

From: Men’s view on participation in decisions about prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening: patient and public involvement in development of a survey

Your doctor tells you about a blood test for prostate cancer. It is called PSA. PSA is a natural enzyme produced by the male prostate gland that can be measured in blood. The test is used for diagnostics and control of prostate cancer treatment. PSA blood levels normally increase with age, prostate gland enlargement, and if the prostate is sick (e.g., cancer). However, an increased PSA does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer. The doctor then tells you that ‘it is not common’ to test all for prostate cancer with PSA because the test is not good enough. One can for example have increased PSA in the blood without having prostate cancer. In addition, prostate cancer may develop slowly so that you experience no prostate cancer symptoms before dying from other causes. Furthermore, the treatment of prostate cancer may have significant side effects. You decide to have a PSA test done

It appears that you have prostate cancer. During the course of treatment, you and your family get increasingly worried and see your doctor several times. Fortunately, it is possible to remove the cancer by surgery without any further complications […]”