HHS HealthBeat (September 27, 2011)

Cancer by sex

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Men and women can develop forms of cancer specific to their sex.  But there are screening tests for some of these cancers. For women, the Pap test for cervical cancer can find abnormal cells that could become cancerous, in time for treatment that could prevent cervical cancer from developing.

For men, there is the PSA test for prostate cancer. But this test doesn’t give quite so clear results, so Dr. Djenaba Joseph of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says men should talk with their doctors about it.

``If they do choose to have it, most men should start at the age of 50, but some men are at high risk, such as men with a family history of prostate cancer, or African-American men, who may need to start at an earlier age.’’ (10 seconds)

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: September 26, 2011