There comes a time in every man’s life when he has to consider screening for prostate cancer. So where to even begin? The guidelines for screening depend largely on your risk for the disease — and that’s based on several factors including family history, genetics, age, and race.
The United States Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF) recommends that men between the ages of 55-69 years at average risk for the disease discuss the benefits vs. harms of prostate cancer screening with their primary care physician. The decision about when to begin screening should be an individual one.
Read More Screening is simple and consists of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam to feel the prostate gland. “It’s slightly uncomfortable but painless, and takes less than 30 seconds,” says Dr. Edwin Posadas, Director of Translational Oncology and the Medical Director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “The amount of information that is gained from that is tremendous, and it can be a life-and-death type decision that is made,” says Dr. Posadas, who has detected prostate cancer in patients via a rectal exam alone.
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