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Prostate Cancer Symptoms and ScreeningProstate cancer has no symptoms in the early stages - that's why screening is critical to early detection.Know your level of risk. Know when to get screened. Start talking to your doctor about it now.
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There are no noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer while it is still in the early stages. In order to find prostate cancer in its most treatable form, it must be caught before symptoms appear. In more advanced stages, symptoms may include difficult or frequent urination, blood in the urine or bone pain.
Risk of prostate cancer increases with age. Prostate cancer is rare for men under the age of 40, and most cases occur in men over the age of 65. Men with a father or brother with prostate cancer are 2x as likely to get the disease. Men with 3 relatives diagnosed with prostate cancer are almost guaranteed to get it. African American men have a 60% higher risk of getting prostate cancer than white men, and 2x the risk of dying from it. Hispanic men have a risk of getting prostate cancer similar to the general population, but rates of death due to the disease have not declined over recent years as they have for Caucasian and African American men. Veterans of Asian Theaters (Vietnam and Korea) who were exposed to Agent Orange are at increased risk. Obese men those with a body mass index of over 32.5 - are 33% more likely to die from prostate cancer if diagnosed.
Talk to your doctor about screening for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer screening consists of two examinations:
These exams are done together to increase the accuracy of diagnosis. The PSA test is the best option we have for early detection. Mortality rates have dropped considerably since it became widely used. Doctors are working on ways to make the test more accurate and to better understand the results. Doctors are looking at the level of PSA in your blood and how much it changes from year to year. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends further testing for men with a PSA level of 2.5 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) or above.
The DRE may already be part of your annual physical. The doctor is looking for bumps or abnormalities on the surface of your prostate that might be tumor growth.
The right age to start PSA testing depends on your level of risk:
The Drive Against Prostate Cancer
A biopsy is an analysis of prostate tissue samples taken from the patient. If your PSA levels are above a certain level, or your DRE reveals a potential tumor, your doctor may recommend a biopsy. Most men who undergo biopsies and further testing after a PSA test do not have prostate cancer.
Non-cancerous prostate conditions, such as an enlarged prostate (Benign Prostate Hyperplasia or BPH) or prostatitis are common. They may cause noticeable symptoms, including a rising PSA level. Most men suffer from some prostate enlargement as they grow older. High grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia or HGPIN, abnormal or pre-cancerous cells in the lining of prostate ducts, is a condition very closely associated with high risk for invasive prostate cancer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||