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New Prostate Cancer
Screening Guidelines
Robert Pugach, MD
August
2009, Los Alamitos, CA
New guidelines
for prostate cancer screening suggest that we should start looking
for evidence of prostate cancer at an earlier age. Presentations at
this year’s American Urological Association meeting indicated that
patients should start being tested as early as age 40. This
is especially important for men whose fathers (or relatives of their
fathers) have a history of prostate cancer – their risk of
developing it is at least twice that of the general population. In
addition, normal values for PSA (the blood test that can detect
prostate cancer) are being lowered. We believe that it should be
2.5 for men 65 years or younger and 4.0 for men over that age.
Why are screening
criteria changing? There’s no question that we are still missing
many cases of curable prostate cancer. Estimates are that as many
as 25% of men with prostate cancer may not have it detected early
enough. Once prostate cancer escapes the capsule of the prostate no
cure is possible. It may spread to lymph nodes, the liver and
bones. In addition, local growth can cause blockages of the ureters,
the tubes that drain the kidneys into the bladder
Controversy
continues about who should be treated for prostate cancer. Much of
this debate involves old patient data and statistics that date back
to a time when life expectancy for men was much lower than it is
today. In fact, life expectancy today is almost 80 years; people
who are born today are expected to have an average life expectancy
of 96 years! That means that men are living long enough to both
develop prostate cancer and suffer its effects. That also means
that cancer screening should start at an early age and most of us
will need aggressive treatment.
Of course, the
key to successful treatment is early diagnosis. We’re on top of
all of the latest guidelines, just as we are with other areas of
minimally invasive urology. If you haven’t had a prostate cancer
screening in the last 12 months, call us today to schedule a
convenient appointment to see Dr. Pugach. If you have any
questions, please feel free to call us to speak to one of our
experienced nurses. We’re here to help you! Call:
888-735-4336
"One in Five Young Men In US Report Recent PSA Test"
Dr. Robert Pugach agrees with recent findings on PSA testing and
African-American's prostate screening recommendations, as reported
in the August 11, 2008, Online issue of Cancer Magazine
Summary
of Findings
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The findings suggest that young black men are 2.42-times more likely
than their white counterparts to undergo PSA screening.
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The rate in black men, 33.6%, is disappointingly low considering
that they are at higher risk for prostate cancer.
"Our findings for black men are discouraging," senior author Dr.
Judd W. Moul, from Duke, commented in a statement. "We've been
encouraging black men to get screened at age 40 or 45 for more than
a decade, yet only one-third of these high-risk men reported being
tested."
It is generally recommended that men discuss screening with their
physicians starting at age 50. However, the American Cancer Society
recommends screening at age 45 for African American men, or earlier
if there is a strong family history.
Dr. Robert Pugach aggressively
advises men to adhere to the screening recommendations as
recommended by the American Cancer Society. If you are over the age
of 45, have experienced changes in the way that you urinate or have
a family history of prostate cancer, see your urologist today. It
takes only a few minutes for exam and PSA testing. The testing
results can save your life!
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