What Age To Check Prostate

Health & Wellnessdiagnosed With Prostate Cancer At 37 Man Shares Story To Erase Stigma

At what age should men check prostate?

This examination lasts 15 to 20 seconds, according to Ehdaie, and is uncomfortable but not painful. Rettig noted that on its own, the digital exam is not going to add very much, but can be paired with the blood test to give a full picture of the patients health situation.

After that exam is completed and the bloodwork is done, the results are evaluated together.

A decision would be made to either pursue further tests because the screenings suggest there may be something that would be of concern, or they would return at the next scheduled , Ehdaie said.

How Do Men Feel About The Rectal Exam

I think most men are willing to do it, but some men are exceptionally opposed to it. They might be happy to hear that there are studies ongoing in the United Kingdom looking at using magnetic resonance imaging as a screening tool to be able to avoid doing a digital rectal exam in the future. There is a large African immigrant population in London with a higher incidence of prostate cancerthey didnt want to have the prostate exam because they had a lot of opposition to it. They were uncomfortable with it.;

When Should I Get Tested

Deciding to get tested is a personal decision made after a consultation with your doctor. Some important factors to consider are your age, race, family history, and history of exposure . Visit our Am I at Risk?page to learn more and check out our recommended age and testing guidelines, which are based on the NCCN provided recommendations.

All men are at risk of prostate cancer, so it is important to talk with your doctor to make an informed decision. Detecting prostate cancer early gives you the best chance of living longer. In fact, when it is caught early, the 5-year survival rate is over 99 percent.

Talk to Nathan about Prostate Cancer Screening is an interactive conversation that can help you decide whether to get screened. In partnership with the CDC, Nathan was developed to share information and answer your questions about prostate cancer screening and treatment. He also suggests some questions you might want to ask your doctor. Click the image below to get started!

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Health & Wellnessprostate Cancer Warning Signs: What Doctors Say You Need To Know

Dr. Behfar Ehdaie, a urologic surgeon specializing in prostate cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said that these varying guidelines are due to the different risk factors that each person faces. Things like family history, environmental factors, race and more can all come into play when it comes to assessing prostate cancer risk.

There are specific patient level factors that have to go into that decision, including family history, comorbidities, and life expectancy, said Ehdaie, who said that people who are not expected to live more than another decade may not be advised to get screened. And of course, the patients own preferences are taken into account, their goals, what they want to achieve.

What Age Should I Start Getting A Prostate Exam

For African-American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer, it is recommended that tests be given starting at age 40. If you have urination problems or if the DRE or PSA test indicates that you might have a problem, you will probably be given additional tests that may require some preparation.

What Happens During A Prostate Exam

If youve never had a DRE before, you may be concerned about what happens during a prostate exam and what it feels like. Dont worryit is not a painful experience.

Before performing a prostate exam, your healthcare provider will ask you to remove your clothes from the waist down and will provide you with a gown to wear. During the DRE, you will stand and bend at the waist or lie on your side with your knees bent. Your healthcare provider will apply lubricant to a gloved finger, gently insert it into your rectum, and sweep their finger along the wall of the rectumthis allows them to feel any abnormalities in the prostate.;

Your provider may press down on your lower abdomen during this process, potentially causing mild discomfort and the urge to urinatethis is normal. The good news is these sensations only last a few minutes.;

Prostate Exam In Concord Mint Hill And Charlotte

Some men are hesitant about getting tested, but a skilled urologist will give you confidence and knowledge about maintaining your prostate health. Dr. Richard Natale is here to help you maintain optimum sexual health and overall health as well.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Natale, contact our friendly staff at Carolina Urology today by calling 786-5131 or by filling out our;appointment request form online now. We look forward to serving you.

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There Are Risks To Getting Prostate Cancer Tests And Treatments

If your PSA is not normal, you will probably have a biopsy. The doctor puts a needle through the wall of the rectum and into the prostate to take a few samples. Biopsies can be painful and cause bleeding. Men can get serious infections from biopsies, and they may need hospital care.

Surgery or radiation are the usual treatments for prostate cancer. They can do more harm than good. Treatment can cause serious complications, such as heart attacks, blood clots in the legs or lungs, or even death. In addition, 40 men out of 1,000 will become impotent or incontinent from treatment.

Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer

How to find out if you are at risk of prostate cancer

Symptoms of prostate cancer do not usually appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis .

When this happens, you may notice things like:

an increased need to pee
straining while you pee
a feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied

These symptoms should not be ignored, but they do not mean you have prostate cancer.

It’s more likely they’re caused by something else, such as prostate enlargement.

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Other Factors That Influence Psa Levels

The PSA blood test alone cannot diagnose prostate cancer. It is possible, although rare, to have prostate cancer without raised PSA levels in the blood. A higher-than-normal PSA level doesnt automatically indicate prostate cancer either. A high PSA level is due to cancer in around one in three cases.

PSA levels can be raised by other factors, including:

, also known as benign prostatic enlargement .

For this reason, the PSA blood test isnt used in isolation when checking for prostate cancer.

What Happens During A Digital Rectal Exam

Your health care provider will insert a gloved finger into the rectum and feel the prostate for hard, lumpy, or abnormal areas. The test takes only a few minutes to complete.

You may feel slight, momentary discomfort during the test. The procedure does not cause significant pain or any damage to the prostate.

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Prostate Growth: A Normal Part Of Aging

Starting around age 25, the adult prostate begins to enlarge slowly. The condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia , and it has nothing to do with cancer.

Itâs not clear why the growth happens. What is clear, however, is that around age 50, many men begin to have uncomfortable symptoms as a result of this enlargement. They may have to go to the bathroom more urgently and often, especially at night — and when they do, itâs often difficult to get a strong stream started or to empty the bladder.

This happens because the prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder and out through the penis. As the prostate grows, it compresses that tube, and that makes urination difficult.

If it gets so bad that you canât pee at all, thatâs a medical emergency. Get to an emergency room or call 911 immediately.

What Age Should Men Be Screened For Prostate Cancer

The Prostate Cancer Foundation recommends that Black men or men with a family history of cancer be screened at the age of 40; otherwise, the organization advises getting screened at 45. The American Cancer Society recommends that men at “average risk” be screened at the age of 50, while “men at high risk of developing prostate cancer” like Black men and men who have a first-degree relative, like a father or brother, who were diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 65, be screened at 45. Men at “even higher risk” should be screened at 40.

In 2018, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation advising men to start talking about screenings with their doctors at the age of 55.

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When Do You Need A Prostate Exam

PSA is continuously present in the bloodstream for most men, and an increase in its number may be attributed to causes other than cancer. However, men who have an increased risk of prostate cancer should undergo a regular prostate exam.

Age, family history, and race are all possible factors that can increase your risk. Likewise, your doctor may also recommend that you undergo testing if you are experiencing discomfort or pain while urinating.

Symptoms which may indicate that you have a;prostate;issue include the following:

Inconsistent flow of urine

How Often Is a Prostate Exam Necessary?

Your frequency of testing may be due to several factors, including your age and present health condition:

Whats The Recommended Age For Your First Prostate Exam

Starting at age 50, all men should discuss getting a prostate exam with their doctor.;

The reason for this is prostate cancer. In the UK, about one in eight men will be diagnosed with this in their lifetime. It mainly affects men aged 50 plus, but your risk increases as you get older, and the most common age to be diagnosed is between 65 and 69 years. Most men with early prostate cancer dont have any noticeable signs or symptoms.;

The exception to this rule is if you are experiencing symptoms, or if your genetics predispose you as higher risk. Doctors are increasingly finding the tendency towards some prostate cancers can be inherited from your fathers family. Additionally, black men are at a higher risk, with one in four getting prostate cancer in their lifetime.;

If youre experiencing no symptoms, heres the recommended age for prostate exam:

If you have a family history, first prostate exam at age 40
If you are black, first prostate exam at age 45
If you have no family history and youre not black, first prostate exam at age 50

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Prostate Specific Antigen Test

A blood test called a prostate specific antigen test measures the level of PSA in the blood. PSA is a substance made by the prostate. The levels of PSA in the blood can be higher in men who have prostate cancer. The PSA level may also be elevated in other conditions that affect the prostate.

As a rule, the higher the PSA level in the blood, the more likely a prostate problem is present. But many factors, such as age and race, can affect PSA levels. Some prostate glands make more PSA than others.

PSA levels also can be affected by

Certain medical procedures.

Research Into Prostate Cancer Screening

PSA test for prostate cancer

Many prostate cancers grow very slowly and dont cause men any problems in their lifetime. Overall, evidence from trials of prostate screening has shown that prostate cancer screening does not reduce the number of men dying from prostate cancer.

The Cancer Research UK CAP trial looked at whether a single PSA blood test would reduce the number of men dying of prostate cancer. This was a large UK study with over 400,000 men between the ages of 50 and 69 taking part. Around half the men were offered a PSA blood test the other half werent.;

The results in early 2018 showed that the number of men dying from prostate cancer was the same in both groups. This was after 10 years of follow up. The researchers say that this trial doesnt support PSA testing as a screening test for prostate cancer. They say we need more research to find a better screening test.

This supports what the 2013 Cochrane review found. This looked at screening research from a number of trials and concluded that prostate cancer screening did not reduce the number of men dying from prostate cancer.;

Research looking at doing more than one test doesnt show that this would help either. Increasing the number of tests could increase the level of harms such as diagnosing those cancers that wouldnt cause any harm . Many men have side effects from treatment and the risks of routine PSA screening outweigh the benefits.

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A Cancer Prevention Plan For Men

Finding cancer early improves your chances of successful treatment and long-term survival.

Look for:

lumps, sores or ulcers that don’t heal
unusual changes in your testicles changes in shape, consistency or lumpiness
coughs that don’t go away or show blood, a hoarseness that persists
weight loss that can’t be explained
moles that have changed shape, size or colour, or bleed, or an inflamed skin sore that hasn’t healed
blood in a bowel motion
persistent changes in toilet habits
urinary problems or changes.

These symptoms are often related to more common, less serious health problems. However, if you notice any unusual changes, or these symptoms persist, visit your doctor.

Preparing For A Prostate Exam

Theres nothing special that you need to do to prepare for a prostate exam. Tell your doctor if you have anal fissures or hemorrhoids, as a DRE may aggravate these conditions.

If you decide to get a prostate cancer screening, your doctor will likely order a blood test, so inform the person drawing your blood if youre prone to dizziness.

Your doctor may ask you to sign a consent form before performing a cancer screening.

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What Is A Digital Rectal Exam

The most common way for doctors to check on the health of your prostate is with a DRE. Its a fairly quick and simple procedure.

For the exam, youll bend at the waist while standing or lie on your side with your knees bent toward your chest.

Your doctor will lubricate a gloved finger and gently place it inside your rectum. Theyll press one hand on your prostate, and their other hand will feel your pelvic area. It should only take a few moments.

You may experience momentary discomfort. You may also feel the urge to urinate, especially if your prostate is enlarged or inflamed.

Your doctor will be able to tell you if your prostate seems to be a normal size and shape. In general, a DRE has no risks.

How To Keep Your Prostate Healthy

A key part of keeping your prostate in good health is to be aware of any changes when you urinate or any discomfort in your lower abdomen, pelvis and anal area. If you notice anything that concerns you, visit a doctor. At Spire Healthcare, you can get the help you need with our mens health services, which provides specialist care for men with prostate, penile, testicular and bladder problems.

You can also take steps to prevent prostate issues by making changes to your lifestyle that promote good general health, which is thought to have a knock-on effect on promoting good prostate health. There are three main approaches:;

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Rettig said that someone who has a strong family history of early onset prostate cancer might want to talk to their primary care provider or other health care practitioner earlier in life, while someone with less risk might prefer to wait.

The guidelines for how often men should be screened again also vary. If you have a high prostate-specific antigen , a protein made by cells in the prostate gland, you may be recommended to come back for more frequent screenings, but those with lower PSA levels might only be advised to come back every four years or so.

If youre 55 and have you have a PSA of less than one, you can wait four years to get screened again, Rettig explained. Alternatively, if youre 45 and have a PSA of two and a half, that might be someone who might get a biopsy or be re-screened within the year. How frequently one would be prescreened is really contingent upon the specifics of the patient.

Another Option: Digital Rectal Exams

Most prostate biopsies are driven by PSA results. Urologists also use the digital rectal exam, or DRE.

The American Urological Association hasnt recommended rectal exams because there has yet to be a randomized trial in which some men get the rectal exam and some dont. Based on who lives and dies, this would show if rectal exams have value, says Dr. Freedland. Many people, myself included, think they do have value. Its part of the evaluation that we use even if its not officially in our guidelines.

The DRE may cause momentary discomfort, but it can also detect prostate cancer for those patients with normal PSA levels. We use the exam because we think it should work and be helpful, even if it hasnt been studied, Dr. Freedland adds. Most people are screened with PSA and DRE.

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