New guidelines for prostate cancer screening

Thanks to the rising media attention, most men are aware prostate cancer is on the rise. But yet most guys do not know what they need to do to screen for the disease and make sure they don't have it.

New guidelines have been put out to help guide men in the screening process.

A screening program is not a perfect test. It is designed to pick up the majority of abnormalities without being too invasive or causing any risk of harm. This is why we screen often to increase the chances of picking up the disease in it's early stages. The up side of this is that a screening program is a very safe thing to undertake, the down side is that a small percentage of cases are missed.

In prostate cancer screening, there is another issue,  that we might pick up diseases that would not have evolved into a significant disease, putting people at risk of having to undergo treatment for a disease that was never going to amount to much.

So should men get tested?

So for those that wish to be screened, and are willing to take the risk of being over diagnosed should take the test.

What age should you start the screening program?

It is recommended for those men that don't have a family history of prostate cancer, the screening starts at aged 50.  For those that do have a family history screening starts earlier. Please talk to your doctor about what age is appropariate for you?

What does the screening test involve?

Well this is the most important factor, most men know that the old way to screen for prostate cancer is a digital examination of the back passage but the good news is this has been changed.  That's right, there is no need to do a rectal examination to men that don't have symptoms of prostate disease. All that needs to be done for those men who wish to be check out is a simple blood test.

So come in and make an appointment to see the doctor to discuss this very important screening opportunity.  Contact Whole Medicine on 03 5986 4229.

Be well