Services
Screening
| Cancer Center > Cancer Screenings > Prostate Cancer Screening |
Prostate cancer screening
Two main screenings for prostate cancer are digital rectal exam (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. If one of these screenings is positive, more tests will need to be conducted.
Digital rectal examA DRE is the most commonly used method for early detection of prostate cancer. Your doctor uses a finger to do a rectal exam and feel for abnormal firmness in the prostate. A digital rectal exam can detect most advanced cancers, but it cannot detect many early cancers. Studies have not shown that men having regular DREs are less likely to die from prostate cancer than men not having regular DREs. Many nodules felt by a doctor will be found not cancerous after further testing. |
PSA blood testThe level of prostate-specific antigen, a protein produced by the prostate, is measured in a blood test. This test will detect more prostate cancers than the DRE, but it still will miss 11 percent of early prostate cancers. Having high levels of PSA in the blood could mean a man has any one of several conditions of the prostate, including harmless prostate enlargement, inflammation or cancer. One out of 20 men having the screening done will test positive, but most will not have cancer. A large percentage of cancers detected by PSA tests may be cancers that continue to grow slowly throughout a man's life. These cancers may cause health problems with time. |
Recommendations
Recommendations for prostate cancer screenings differ among various groups. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force does not routinely recommend the PSA blood test. The American Cancer Society recommends this test yearly beginning at age 50, or yearly beginning at age 40 for African-American men or men with a family history of prostate cancer. The American Urological Association recommends that patients in these high-risk groups be given information about PSA testing and the option to participate in screening or early detection programs. It also suggests that PSA testing continue for healthy males having a life expectancy of 10 years or more.
Deciding what is best for you
The controversy surrounding screening practices for prostate cancer arises through the complexity of the disease: it is common, yet often there are no noticeable symptoms early on in the disease. It can be slow growing and not spread to other parts of the body, or it can progress rapidly and be life-threatening. It can be detected early through tests, yet early detection does not guarantee a longer life. The results of vigorous treatment are unknown and may not be better than less-aggressive treatment strategies. Only you and your doctor can decide what is best for you.
To schedule a prostate cancer screening, talk to your primary care doctor or contact the Park Nicollet Clinic location nearest you.
Printer Friendly
