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Although nearly all men suffer from a benign or
non-cancerous enlargement of, the prostate, many men in the United States suffer from prostate cancer. It appears that 11 % of men will develop prostate cancer in the course of their lifetime. Well
over 180,000 men a year are diagnosed with prostate cancer and anywhere between 30,000 to 40,000 men a year will die of their prostate cancer. As such, it is important for us to diagnose this problem early, to treat it early and to allow men to have a more normal and full lifespan.
PSA
The prostate specific antigen or PSA blood test is probably the most
important advance to come along in the past fifteen years. This blood
test is a simple test, run by any doctor in their office, and will tell
us if there is any change whatsoever in the prostate. It does not tell
us if there is cancer, however if it is high or extremely high, it
alerts us to the possibility of a cancer being present. If that is the
case, we would then go on to biopsy the prostate to determine whether or
not there is a cancer, However the PSA test has shown over the years to
be a versatile, safe, very accurate means of diagnosing whether a man
has a chance of developing prostate cancer, a tendency to develop
prostate cancer or in fact, has developed prostate cancer. Additionally,
it is a wonderful tool to follow men in their prostate cancer treatment
to assure ourselves that we are, in fact, curing and correcting the
underlying problem. What is very interesting is that this test has been
shown over the course of time, to be one of the most beneficial tests in
cost vs. benefit ratio in many years, and as such has been recommended
by all urologists once a man hits 40 years old. It should be done at 45
years old and once an individual reaches the age of 50, it should be
done on a yearly basis. Now what happens if the diagnosis of prostate
cancer is made? Does that mean the end is near? The answer is no. We now
are able to affect prostate cancer treatment with the hope of cure
because of the early detection afforded by a PSA test. The newest, most
promising technique in treating prostate cancer is the one that is the
most exciting because it is the least invasive of all of the techniques. |