Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowman
As someone who does medical research for a living, and who often deals with prostate cancer patient data, I'd like to loudly echo this advice. Prostate cancer is generally very treatable, though not without risks, and it is typically easy to detect in earlier stages. If you are getting up there in age, you should be getting your PSA (prostate-specific antigen, not the grading company) levels checked. They are an excellent biomarker for prostate cancer.
Sadly, there has been an uptick in more advanced stages of prostate cancer due to the pandemic, as people avoided their usual checkups out of fear of contracting covid.
|
PSA is a good screening tool but it results in a very large number of false positives and also can miss cases. Best to see a doctor and not just rely on a single blood test. The issue of screening is complicated.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/...ing/tests.html
and
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-pro...20is%20present.
It's not so simple as go get a PSA test. Mayo Clinic:
What's risky about a PSA test?
You may wonder how getting a test for prostate cancer could have a downside. After all, there's little risk involved in the test itself — it requires simply drawing blood for evaluation in a lab.
However, there are some potential downsides once the results are in. These include:
Elevated PSA levels can have other causes, such as benign prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia) or prostate infection (prostatitis). These false-positives are common.
Some prostate cancers may not produce much PSA. It's possible to have what's known as a "false-negative" — a test result that incorrectly indicates you don't have prostate cancer when you do.
Follow-up tests to check out the cause of an elevated PSA test can be invasive, stressful, expensive or time-consuming.
Living with a slow-growing prostate cancer that doesn't need treatment might cause stress and anxiety.
What do experts recommend?
Most medical organizations encourage men in their 50s to discuss the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening with their doctors. The discussion should include a review of your risk factors and your preferences about screening.
You might consider starting the discussions sooner if you're black, have a family history of prostate cancer or have other risk factors.
If you choose to have prostate cancer screening, most organizations recommend stopping around age 70 or if you develop other serious medical conditions that limit your life expectancy.