Men over 50 should speak to their physicians about having a rectal exam and PSA blood test at least once a year,” says Phillip H. Beck M.D., FACS and diplomat, American Board of Urology.  

PSA (prostate specific antigen) is a sugar protein excreted in the semen that is made by prostate cells. It occurs naturally in no other organ of the body. A small amount of PSA “leaks” into the blood stream and can easily be measured. It is elevated when there is cancer of the prostate, but can be elevated from other, non-cancerous causes. It is extremely useful as both a screening test and as a tumor marker.  

As a screening test, PSA is used to identify men who could have prostate cancer when it is still confined to the prostate and therefore potentially curable. By the time prostate cancer can be detected with a rectal exam, it may be too late for a cure. But the rectal exam is also useful as a screening test. Cancer detection is more reliable when both PSA and a digital rectal exam are used.  

Before PSA became available, 50 percent of the prostate cancers diagnosed were advanced and often no longer curable. Since PSA testing started, 90 percent of cancers of the prostate detected are confined to the prostate. These cancers are treatable.  

 “With early detection, prompt therapy and careful follow-up, most men with cancer of the prostate can be treated to live a long, healthy life,” says Dr. Beck.  

September 16-22 is Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, a good time to put yourself on the right side of those statistics. For a referral to a physician at Doctors Hospital who can screen you, call 800.470.7229.