Prostate Cancer Screening (cont.)
Prostate cancer is the most common nonskin cancer among men in the United
States.
Prostate cancer is found mainly in older men. Although the number of men with prostate cancer is large, most men diagnosed with this disease do not die from it. Prostate cancer occurs more often in African-American men than in white men. African-American men with prostate cancer are more likely to die from the disease than white men with prostate cancer.
Age, race, and family history of prostate cancer can affect the risk of
developing prostate cancer.
Anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease is called a
risk factor. Risk factors for prostate cancer include the following:
- Being 50 years of age or older.
- Being black.
- Having a brother, son, or father
who had prostate cancer.
- Eating a diet high in fat or drinking alcoholic
beverages.
Tests are used to screen for different types of cancer.
Some screening tests are used because they have been shown to be helpful both
in finding cancers early and decreasing the chance of dying from these cancers.
Other tests are used because they have been shown to find cancer in some people;
however, it has not been proven in clinical trials that use of these tests will
decrease the risk of dying from cancer.
Scientists study screening tests to find those with the fewest risks and most
benefits. Cancer screening trials also are meant to show whether early detection
(finding cancer before it causes symptoms) decreases a person's chance of dying
from the disease. For some types of cancer, finding and treating the disease at
an early stage may result in a better chance of recovery.
There is no standard or routine screening test for prostate cancer.
Screening tests for prostate cancer are under study, and there are screening
clinical trials taking place in many parts of the country. Information about
ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Tests to detect (find) prostate cancer that are being studied include the
following:
Digital rectal exam
Digital rectal exam (DRE) is an exam of the rectum. The doctor or nurse
inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the lower part of the rectum to feel
the prostate for lumps or anything else that seems unusual.
 |
| Digital rectal exam (DRE). The doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger
into the rectum and feels the prostate to check for anything abnormal. |
Prostate-specific antigen test
A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a test that measures the level of
PSA in the blood. PSA is a substance made mostly by the prostate that may be
found in an increased amount in the blood of men who have prostate cancer. The
level of PSA may also be high in men who have an infection or inflammation of
the prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH; an enlarged, but
noncancerous, prostate).
Scientists are studying the combination of PSA testing and digital rectal
exam as a way to get more accurate results from the screening tests.
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