Prostate Cancer Check

Question: When should men be checked for prostate cancer?

Answer: Prostate cancer is the most common internal cancer in men, and has the second-highest cancer death rate. It ranks among the top five causes of male deaths, and it is as common in men as breast cancer is in women.

Prostate cancer, if caught early, has a very high chance of being cured or controlled for life. More than 80 percent of premature deaths from prostate cancer could have been avoided with early detection and treatment, because most deaths result from delayed diagnosis and treatment with advanced cancer already present at diagnosis.

The good news, however, is that with increased awareness, earlier detection and improved treatment, the death rate from prostate cancer has dropped steadily since the late 1980’s. Most men can live a normal life expectancy with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

The lifetime prostate cancer risk is 1 in 6, and it increases with age. Under age 40, the risk is 1 in 20,000; at age 40 to 59, 1 in 45; at age 60 to 79, 1 in 7; and over 80, 1 in 2 to 3.

Few prostate cancers diagnosed over the age of 75 to 80 are aggressive, and may not even need treatment. Younger men under 65, however, can lose years of life expectancy to undiagnosed, advanced prostate cancer, and should be treated.

Some men have higher prostate cancer risk than others. High-risk men include African- Americans and men with a family history of prostate cancer. These men carry a 16 to 35 percent lifetime risk of prostate cancer, and can develop prostate cancer earlier in life than most.

Most authorities recommend that these high-risk men have a prostate exam and PSA blood test annually starting at age 40, earlier if not feeling well.

All other men should have every other year prostate exams and PSA blood tests from age 40 to 50, then annually thereafter.