Approximately one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and the majority of these diagnoses are in men who are older than 65.
Early diagnosis is key to survival. When found in an early, localized stage, prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate of more than 99%.
Recommendations and protocols for prostate cancer screening and treatment have evolved throughout the years as the medical community learns from research, clinical practice and shared knowledge.
Changes in recommendations can create confusion for individuals who are making health decisions for themselves. To help that decision-making process, here are some updates on prostate cancer screening and treatment guidelines.
Prostate cancer screening protocol
In general, health screenings are an important part of our overall preventive care plan because screenings can detect problems in the earliest, most treatable stages. This is undoubtedly true with prostate cancer, where screenings such as a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test can detect early-stage, slow-growing prostate cancer. Sometimes, these slow-growing cancers never affect one’s health.
Sometimes, people get false positive results with a PSA test. Older men are more likely to get a false positive result, which can cause them to worry and potentially get a biopsy. Biopsies can be unnecessary and can have complications such as pain or infection.
That’s why both the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommend that men between age 55 to 69 with an average risk for prostate cancer discuss the benefits and risks of prostate cancer screening with their primary care provider (PCP) and make an individual decision that’s best for them.