Prostate Cancer
A typical screening test for prostate cancer can produce
false positive results, leading to unnecessary, painful biopsies. The test can
also appear normal when prostate cancer is actually present.
That’s why, in part, the American Cancer Society has revised
its guidelines for prostate cancer screening. The ACS is now urging doctors to
talk to their patients about the screening test and its limitations, Since the
1990’s the ACS has not recommended routine screening for most men. The psa test
looks for high levels of a protein in produced by the prostate. The problem is
in distinguishing what might be cancer and what might be harmless urologist at
the Ogden Internal Medicine.
While the test is specific for the prostate, it’s not
specific for cancer, so you’ve got to distinguish between the psa that is
caused by benign cells versus malignant cells
.
Several tests to try to make that distinction won’t be availed
for another year one test that is available is the pac 3k which tests a patient’s
sample for a genetic marker for prostate cancer. The test is considerably more specific
or prostate cancel The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland that sits just outside
the bladder. Its primary function I to supply secretions to the semen. ‘When a
man reaches age 50, the gland usually begins to enlarge, probably as a result
of hormone fluctuations.
According to the American Cancer Society, 192,000 new cases
of prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2010 and 27,000 of those patients will die
of the disease
The Prostate Cancer Foundation lists symptoms of prostate
cancer as frequent urinating, especially
at night; burning with urination; trouble urinating; blood in the urine or semen;
painful ejaculation; and frequent pain or stiffness in the hips thighs and
back.
Prevention can include a low-fat diet and omega 3 fatty
acids... The cancer is highly curable if caught earl. Treatment and include
radiation and sometimes the surgical removal of the prostate. Anyone with a
first-degree relative who has had prostate cancer and those of African-America can
ethnicity should be regularly screened.
Like millions of American men, Brian Hines, 64, has a yearly
ritual. Every fall, the Salem, Oregon resident has his blood checked for the
PSA (prostate-specific antigen), a protein that can be an early warning sign of
prostate cancer So far his numbers have always been low generally a sign that
his prostate is healthy and cancer free. But now Hines says he might skip the
test because it may do nothing more than “buy you a ticket for the treatment
merry g-go- round. Many general actioners and urologists still recommend
regular PSA testing for all men, starting at about age f50 until age 70 to 75l
But other physicians-including many prominent expert on the front line against
cancer---see the psa AS A HI flawed test that saves few lives while turning
many men into cancer patient with all the chemotherapy radiation and surgery
that can come with the territory
On the whole the tide is turning against the PSA The American cancer Society and other groups currently recommend that men discuss
the test with their doctors which is far from an enthusiastic endorsement No
credible organization in the U.S. actually recommend that men get screened
for prostate cancer without a thorough discussion of the pros and cons.
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