Question: There seems to be some conflicting info out there about prostate exams. Care to clear that up?
Fair enough. Let me ask you. If there was a test that admittedly wasn't 100% reliable but it offered early cancer detection would you be interested in taking it or not?
Most would answer yes. However the need to get, when to start, and benefits of, the PSA exam is still questioned by some. Yet there are some rough guidelines you may find helpful.
Why is screening so important? Two words - early detection.
First, only skin cancer takes more lives each year. So prostate cancer is something you want to catch sooner rather than later.
Yet too often this silent killer goes undetected in men until it reaches an advanced stage. At that point the survival rate plummets. Especially if the cancer has spread to tissue outside the prostate gland. So like most cancers early detection is critical. It's presents you with the best chance at long term survivability.
Also it seems there's some evidence that if those who get screened annually do develop cancer it is less aggressive and remains localized longer. Which cuts the death rate substantially.
What's the test involve?
It's a two step process. One is the blood work that measures the amount of the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) you've got. The other part is a physical examination of the prostate itself or DRE.
What is the norm?
Think 4. You want the PSA to come back 4 ng/ml and your doctor can get into the technical aspects of that. But a higher reading likely signals the need to dig deeper to figure out why.
Who should be examined?
Here basically are the guidelines from the American Cancer Society. Those with symptoms should be checked right away. Those with a family history or in the ethnic groups more prone to developing prostate issues should start at age 40. Everyone else would be wise to consider annual screening from 50 on.
Just so you realize, as was suggested earlier, the process is imperfect. There can be false positives and negatives with the PSA test. Resulting in needless anxiety for some. And a false sense of security for others.
Anyway, while it remains unclear whether a routine scan of those who are not at higher risk saves lives, the best thing to do is discuss your options with your doctor. Keeping in the mind the fact that these tests, while not perfect, are still the best way we've got for catching this cancer early. And early detection is the key to better outcomes.
Fair enough. Let me ask you. If there was a test that admittedly wasn't 100% reliable but it offered early cancer detection would you be interested in taking it or not?
Most would answer yes. However the need to get, when to start, and benefits of, the PSA exam is still questioned by some. Yet there are some rough guidelines you may find helpful.
Why is screening so important? Two words - early detection.
First, only skin cancer takes more lives each year. So prostate cancer is something you want to catch sooner rather than later.
Yet too often this silent killer goes undetected in men until it reaches an advanced stage. At that point the survival rate plummets. Especially if the cancer has spread to tissue outside the prostate gland. So like most cancers early detection is critical. It's presents you with the best chance at long term survivability.
Also it seems there's some evidence that if those who get screened annually do develop cancer it is less aggressive and remains localized longer. Which cuts the death rate substantially.
What's the test involve?
It's a two step process. One is the blood work that measures the amount of the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) you've got. The other part is a physical examination of the prostate itself or DRE.
What is the norm?
Think 4. You want the PSA to come back 4 ng/ml and your doctor can get into the technical aspects of that. But a higher reading likely signals the need to dig deeper to figure out why.
Who should be examined?
Here basically are the guidelines from the American Cancer Society. Those with symptoms should be checked right away. Those with a family history or in the ethnic groups more prone to developing prostate issues should start at age 40. Everyone else would be wise to consider annual screening from 50 on.
Just so you realize, as was suggested earlier, the process is imperfect. There can be false positives and negatives with the PSA test. Resulting in needless anxiety for some. And a false sense of security for others.
Anyway, while it remains unclear whether a routine scan of those who are not at higher risk saves lives, the best thing to do is discuss your options with your doctor. Keeping in the mind the fact that these tests, while not perfect, are still the best way we've got for catching this cancer early. And early detection is the key to better outcomes.
About the Author:
After reading about prostate exams, maybe you have other prostate issues to sort out? Like figuring out the best treatment for prostate cancer or getting up to speed on any of the treatment of prostate cancer options you've got. If you're nodding your head why not visit leading prostate health site ProblemProstate.com?
