Hill Health Magazine Fall 2010

Q: I’m 52 and I’ve never been screened for prostate cancer. Should I get tested?

A: The American Cancer Society (ACS) has updated its guidelines for prostate cancer screenings, putting men at the center of making decisions about screening.

Prostate cancer grows very slowly, so regular screenings in your 40s or 50s usually catch it in time to properly treat it. The challenge for both doctors and patients comes after these screenings. Screening often leads to “false positives” – results that indicate cancer when it does not actually exist. Because false positives lead to many unnecessary prostate biopsies, consider your willingness to have a biopsy in the face of a positive result. When biopsies confirm cancer, one should understand that there are many treatment options available, and that some prostate cancers can be left untreated with monitoring (this is called “watchful waiting”).

The ACS now suggests that beginning at age 40 or 50, depending on personal risk factors, men should discuss the risks and benefits of screening with their doctors and decide together whether and when they should be screened.

Mark DeBruin, DO
Family Practice Doctor
Orangevale

More information: Should I have prostate cancer screening?
 

Hill Health Magazine main | Fall 2010 issue | Archive