Tag: PSA screening

In January, 2023 the American Cancer Society issued an alarming report based on new data from Cancer Statistics, 2023. According to the statistics, the rate of PCa cases diagnosed at advanced stages has increased by 4-5% annually since 2011. Because advanced cases are more difficult to treat, cure rates are lower. Experts anticipate that over time... keep reading

If you have a family history of prostate cancer (PCa), or you’ve been exposed to environmental toxins, or you’re a member of an ethnic group with a vulnerability for PCa, your doctor should discuss guidelines for annual PSA screening. annually screened by a PSA blood test. He or she may have provide you with brochures keep reading

What’s more important: saving men’s lives or saving healthcare dollars? Obviously, saving life is the top priority. But, if the two values could be combined at a single stroke, who wouldn’t jump at it? The way to achieve this integration is spelled out in a Nov. 2022 online JAMA Oncology article. In “Cost effectiveness of keep reading

When I entered medical school, cancer was generally viewed as an older person’s disease. The facts were clear. According to Roswell Park Cancer Center, the oldest cancer center in the U.S.: Age 66 is the average age at diagnosis 60% of cancer patients are 65 or older The most common cancers occur more often in keep reading

Six years ago, we posted a blog about the PROMIS study, which delivered a one-two punch to conventional TRUS biopsies. That blog described a planned follow-on British study that would combine mpMRI with diagnostic biomarkers, in hopes of identifying men whose prostate cancer is so low-risk as to avoid a needle biopsy, and who can be safely monitored. To launch the study... keep reading

According to cancer.net, “A cancer diagnosis often brings concerns about how long your life will be.” Even though prostate cancer (PCa) is not as life-threatening as some other tumor cancers, PCa patients who have just been diagnosed may still encounter fear of death. Yet, the odds of dying from something other than their cancer are keep reading

“There is always a well-known solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.” This quote from humorist H. L. Mencken might well apply to the latest government recommendation regarding PSA screening. Since its development and wide availability starting in the late 1990s, this simple blood test has undoubtedly saved the lives of hundreds of thousands keep reading

Did your doctor say it’s time for a biopsy, based on your PSA results? Do you shudder at the idea? How do you know you really need to have 12+ randomly placed needles throughout your prostate gland? The answers to these questions can be found in a Swedish paper published online July 9, 2021 by keep reading

Everyone knows about the law of unintended consequences, right? A good idea backfires. A classic example happened during British rule of colonial India. The city of Delhi was overrun by cobras – very dangerous poisonous snakes – and the governor was determined to get the situation under control. What better way to eliminate cobras than keep reading