Category: PSA Screening

A characteristic of good mystery stories is the use of clues designed to mislead the reader. These literary devices are called red herrings, and they are meant to throw the reader off track. Most prostate cancer (PCa) patients who are treated with beam radiation or brachytherapy (seed implants) can expect they are on the road keep reading

Contrary to popular belief, a new study says you’re never too old to get high-risk prostate cancer (PCa). There’s been a recent trend to cut back on PSA screening for men over age 70. It wasn’t that long ago when such organizations as the American Urological Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology promoted keep reading

Let’s say you never had a problem with ants in your kitchen. Then, one day you spy a single ant zigzagging its way around the floor. You don’t jump to the conclusion that your home is infested, and you can live with a random ant or two. But what if that first ant is a keep reading

When it comes to men’s health, you’re a responsible guy, right? You don’t overdo it on dietary fats, sugars, red meat and alcohol; you work out regularly; and you have an annual physical. And, your annual exam includes a PSA blood test if you’re over age 45 (age 40 if you have known risk factors). keep reading

Getting an annual PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer (PCa) has been likened to playing Russian roulette. You hope to dodge the you’ve-got-prostate-cancer bullet. So far, the search for a 100% accurate liquid biopsy via blood draw or urine test has been as unsuccessful as the hunt for a better mousetrap. keep reading

Beyond doubt, PSA screening for prostate cancer (PCa) has saved hundreds of thousands of lives since the blood test was introduced in the mid-1990s. However, the classical screening strategy involved a pathway from a suspiciously high or rising PSA directly to... keep reading

A diabetic man aged 76 with no history of prostate cancer (PCa) comes to his primary care physician (PCP) for his annual wellness visit. (Sidebar: in the good old days they were called physicals, but in today’s Medicare world, they’re annual wellness visits—and yes, there is a difference but that’s for another day.) He fasted keep reading

Not long ago, I posted a blog on the ability of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to boost the effectiveness of radiation therapy for prostate cancer. This synergistic effect is very important for men with intermediate or higher risk cancer who can’t have (or don’t want) radical prostatectomy, since the greater the risk, the more likely keep reading

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is like an ID tag for prostate cells. Each prostate cell, whether normal or cancerous, carries proteins (antigens) that can be “shed” into the bloodstream when some type of activity stimulates the prostate. Generally, the more constant the activity, the higher the level of PSA as measured by a simple blood keep reading

Does PSA screening reduce prostate cancer mortality or not? The debate rages on, but here's the latest and most thorough science... keep reading