When Should You Be Screened?

According to the American Cancer Society, almost 30,000 men die from prostate cancer each year, making it the leading cause of cancer-related death among men in the United States. The disease strikes one in seven men and proves to be fatal for one in 38 diagnosed. Recently, there has been a large debate over who should be screened, and the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute has released the following recommendations*.

• At age 40, men with greater than a 10 to 15 year life expectancy should be risk stratified and considered for a prostate cancer screening.

• Doctors should discussing the potential benefits, uncertainties, and risks of a prostate cancer screening with men at age 40 if they have a very high risk (men with more than one first-degree relative diagnosed), at age 45 for men at a high risk (men of African American descent and/or those with one first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 65), and at age 50 for those with an average risk.

• Screening should include the PSA blood test and digital rectal exam.

• Men with less than 10 to 15 year life expectancy should not be offered prostate cancer screening.

The exact interval (yearly, biennial, or every four years) of subsequent prostate cancer screenings is still uncertain.

*These recommendations are adopted based upon the guidance of our FHCI expert panel and with consideration of the American Cancer Society Recommendations on Prostate Cancer Screening and the American Urological Association (AUA) Guideline.