Prostate cancer rates rising: Get screened, say Salem Health urologists
Urologists at Salem Health recommend all men get a prostate-specific antigen test between the ages of 45 and 50. This is a blood test that screens for prostate cancer.
Urologist Bradley Warner, MD, said after the age of 50, men should be screened every one to two years.
“Early diagnosis is the key to preventing any advanced disease,” he said. “The earlier we can diagnose it; the more treatment options people have available to them.”
Early diagnosis and treatment
Dr. Warner said if cancer is limited to the prostate, several treatment options are available. That includes surgery to remove the prostate, radiation, high intensity focused ultrasounds and ablation.
“We hope we can find it early enough where we can treat it. And if it’s not aggressive, then we can just do surveillance,” he said.
The urologist said for Salem Health patients, a PSA is part of the annual bloodwork screening for all men over 50. Screenings start at the age of 40 for high-risk patients, including those with a family history of prostate cancer.
A concerning trend
This awareness campaign comes as the U.S. sees a growing number of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“About 300,000 men per year in the U.S. are diagnosed,” Dr. Warner said. “About 40,000 will die a year. It is an increasing trend over the last decade.”
Dr. Warner said patients should not wait for symptoms to get screened.
“The issue is most men come in and say they have no symptoms, but with prostate cancer you don’t have any symptoms until it becomes metastatic and a problem,” he said.
The urologist said treatments are very successful for patients with cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body.
“If it metastasized then you no longer have options to cure them of the cancer, you’re just trying to keep it from growing,” he said.