When Should I get Screened for Prostate Cancer?
Answer
Thirty percent of men over the age of seventy have prostate cancer. This is a slow-growing, usually benign cancer. It can cause significant problems, however, such as urinary obstruction or bleeding or bone pain. Screening for prostate cancer has never been shown to reduce mortality; still, the American Cancer Society recommends an annual digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test beginning at age fifty. Both should be done earlier if you have a family history of prostate cancer. You may want to discuss continuation of screening after age seventy with your physician.