All articles tagged with #psa test
Dr. Timothy Johnson, a former medical editor, revealed he is battling prostate cancer that was diagnosed after a PSA test, highlighting the importance of regular screening for men over 70, despite current guidelines advising against routine testing in this age group.
Travel writer Rick Steves was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a routine PSA test, leading him to undergo surgery and advocate for increased awareness and screening for prostate cancer, highlighting the importance of early detection and medical research.
A man from Ossett diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer in 2021 urges men to get checked early, highlighting the importance of PSA blood tests over traditional DRE exams, amid a national campaign to raise awareness and promote early detection of prostate cancer.
The article discusses the pros and cons of PSA testing for prostate cancer, emphasizing that while it can produce false positives leading to unnecessary procedures, careful testing and risk assessment can help identify high-risk cases and save lives. The author supports PSA screening for men aged 50-70 and suggests that digital rectal exams add little value and often result in false positives, but individual discussions with doctors are important.
Dr. Keith Roach discusses the importance of PSA tests and DREs in prostate cancer screening, emphasizing that PSA testing remains valuable for men aged 50-70 despite some controversy over false positives, and that DREs add limited diagnostic value but are still part of the screening conversation.
A cancer charity is advocating for prostate cancer screening for high-risk men aged 45 and over, citing economic benefits despite the lack of a national screening program in the UK. The current PSA test is criticized for its inaccuracy, as it can lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment of slow-growing cancers. While some experts argue for targeted screening, especially for black men and those with a family history, others highlight the psychological and physical harms of over-treatment. Ongoing research aims to improve screening methods, but results are years away.
Early research presented at the ASCO annual meeting suggests that at-home saliva tests are more accurate than standard PSA blood tests for identifying men with a high genetic risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The study, involving over 6,000 men, found that the saliva test gave fewer false positives and detected a higher proportion of aggressive cancers. This new method could lead to earlier diagnosis and save thousands of lives, while also reducing unnecessary treatments for those at lower risk. Further research is needed to confirm these findings before widespread implementation.
World-leading experts have proposed updated guidelines for prostate cancer screening, suggesting reduced frequency for some men from two to five years. The American Urological Association recommends screenings every two to four years, including an internal exam and a PSA blood test. Prostate cancer is common in men over 50, but determining who should be screened and how often is complex and varies based on age, race, and family history. New guidelines based on PSA levels suggest low-risk men should be screened every five years, while medium-risk should be screened every two years. Additional testing and treatment may be prescribed for high-risk individuals. Studies indicate that PSA testing alone has limited impact on reducing prostate cancer mortality, prompting the exploration of biomarker panels for more effective screening. Prostate cancer, often asymptomatic in its early stages, can be challenging to detect and is associated with various risk factors. Treatment options include prostatectomy for localized cancer.
A 15-year trial on prostate cancer screening using the PSA blood test found that while it had a small impact on reducing deaths, it also led to a worrying level of overdiagnosis, with one in six flagged cases being wrong. The study showed that the potential harms of the test, including unnecessary treatment and physical side effects, outweigh the benefits. Experts emphasize the need to find better ways to detect aggressive prostate cancers and are exploring alternatives such as MRI scans. The UK National Screening Committee does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer due to the unclear balance between benefits and harms.
A study has revealed that PSA tests for prostate cancer may fail to detect some aggressive forms of the disease, leading to potential misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. Researchers found that the commonly used PSA test missed over 15% of aggressive prostate cancers, particularly in men with high PSA levels. This highlights the limitations of the test and the need for improved methods to accurately detect and diagnose aggressive prostate cancer.
A reader asks Dr. Keith Roach about the safety of using Zyrtec indefinitely for interstitial cystitis, to which he responds that Zyrtec is very safe and can be a viable option for treating the condition. Another reader inquires about the necessity of a digital rectal exam (DRE) for prostate cancer screening, and Dr. Roach explains that while the DRE adds little information to the PSA test, it can still be performed if the patient requests it, as the harm is minimal.
Prominent men like Britain's King Charles and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have recently disclosed their struggles with prostate issues, prompting CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook to provide a comprehensive "user's guide" to the prostate, including information on PSA tests, diagnosing, and treating conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.
Doctors emphasize the importance of regular screenings for prostate cancer, as the disease often shows no symptoms in its early stages. Men should start getting screened at age 50, while those at higher risk, such as Black men and those with a family history or genetic predisposition, should begin screening earlier. Warning signs of prostate cancer include blood in urine or semen, urinary problems, loss of bladder or bowel control, erectile dysfunction, pain, weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, fatigue, and unintentional weight loss. Screening typically involves a digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. Early detection is crucial for successful treatment.
Warning signs of prostate cancer include increased frequency of urination, pain, burning sensation, and blood in the urine. Men over 50 can request a free PSA test to measure prostate-specific antigen levels, although the test is not entirely accurate. Further examinations, such as an MRI scan and biopsy, may be conducted to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment options for prostate cancer include hormone therapy, radiation treatment, and chemotherapy, depending on the individual's condition. Risk factors for prostate cancer include age, family history, and obesity.
Researchers from Stanford University have developed a method of genetically adjusting PSA levels to screen out the "noise" and better identify those truly at risk of prostate cancer. In the study of nearly 100,000 men published in the journal Nature Medicine, the team found 128 locations across the genome associated with PSA. They developed a risk score that indicates whether each man's combination of genetic variants in those locations is likely to give him a naturally high, low or normal PSA. The genetically adjusted PSA better predicted aggressive prostate cancers and would have prevented up to 31% of unnecessary biopsies.