Early Detection Guidelines for Prostate Cancer

Not all prostate cancer diagnoses are the same, so it is important to learn more about early detection for the disease. Since prostate cancers can grow slowly without causing harm, men should be fully informed of the uncertainties, risks and potential benefits of cancer screening before making a decision to undergo testing for prostate cancer.

While the American Cancer Society (ACS) does not recommend that all men be tested for prostate cancer, depending on a man’s age and health, they do recommend that the discussion of prostate detection occur:

• For men 50 and older who have an average risk of developing prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 additional years.

• For men 45 and older who are at high risk of developing prostate cancer because they have a first-degree relative (father, brother or son) who was diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65).

While screening is crucial for cancer detection, there are some limits in screening for prostate cancer. Early testing for prostate cancer can be difficult because the two tests most commonly used in screening are not 100 percent accurate.

Doctors commonly use a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test or a digital rectal exam (DRE) to test for prostate cancer. If abnormal results are detected, a biopsy is completed to determine if cancer is present. However, PSA and DRE tests can sometimes give false positives and false negatives.

Oklahoma CyberKnife treats prostate cancer using advanced CyberKnife^® technology. Find out more about how prostate cancer can be treated in five or fewer treatment sessions here.

This is not intended as medical advice to replace the expertise and judgment of your health care team. It is intended to help you and your family make informed decisions, together with your doctor.