All Men Don't Need Annual Prostate Tests, Study Says.

Byline: Todd Ackerman

May 21--Men who receive low readings on the standard prostate cancer blood test, an annual ritual for millions beginning at age 50, don't need to take it every year, according to a new study.

The study concluded that 55 percent of men only require the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test every two or five years -- a testing schedule that, if it becomes the norm, could save the health care system up to $1 billion annually. The test scans blood for a protein that increases as prostate cancer develops.

"We found that the vast majority of men whose PSA levels are very low don't need to worry that they'll skyrocket in a short period of time," said Dr. E. David Crawford of the University of Colorado's Health Sciences Center. "It just doesn't happen very…