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Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer that affects men. In the United States, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is approximately 13%. In some men, the cancer is more aggressive and leads to death.
The most common risk factor is age. The older a man is, the higher the risk of prostate cancer. About 6 out of 10 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in men over the age of 65. You are at increased risk of dying from prostate cancer if you have a family history of prostate cancer. Black men also have a higher risk of prostate cancer and when it develops in these men, they tend to be younger.
Screening for Prostate Cancer Might Save Your Life
Screening for prostate cancer begins with a test that measure the amount of PSA protein in the blood. An elevated PSA level may be caused by prostate cancer.
The goal of screening for prostate cancer is to identify high-risk, localized prostate cancer that can be successfully treated thereby preventing the morbidity and mortality associated with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer. The potential benefit of screening for prostate cancer is because of treatment.
Screening for Prostate Cancer Is a Shared Decision between Men and Their Doctor
Screening for prostate cancer offers a potential benefit of reducing the chance of death from prostate cancer in some men. Men should have an opportunity to discuss the potential benefits and harms of screening with their clinician and to incorporate their values and preferences in the decision.
According to the United States Prevention Services Task Force (USPSTF), men 55 to 69 years of age, should have an opportunity to discuss the potential benefits and harms of screening with their physician and to incorporate their preferences in the decision. The decision about whether to be screened for prostate cancer requires that each man incorporate his own values about the potential benefits and harms.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, screening for prostate cancer is a shared decision between the patient and doctor. In determining whether screening for prostate cancer is appropriate in individual cases, the patient and their doctor should consider the balance of benefits and harms on the basis of family history, race/ethnicity, comorbid medical conditions and patient values about the benefits and harms of screening and treatment specific outcomes, and other health needs.
You should tell your doctor that you want to be screened for prostate cancer.