When Should You Start Doing Self
If you develop a genital or rectal condition at a young age, your doctor may ask you to start doing genital self-exams.
Otherwise, you probably wont need to do self-exams until you begin;going through puberty.
Your doctor may also start performing genital exams at this time if they arent already as;part of your annual physical.
Prostate Exam Every 4 Years
The current guidelines of the American Cancer Society recommend that men over age 50 should be “offered” a prostate exam every year
The Story: A new European study has shown that a thorough screening for prostate cancer every 4 years is adequate. The screening comprises a PSA blood test, a digital rectal exam, and a transrectal ultrasound. “Very few, if any, aggressive prostate cancers escape screening….”
It looks as if the American Cancer Society guidelines for prostate cancer screening may be changing. Transurethral ultrasound is a procedure used to examine the prostate. An instrument is inserted into the rectum, and sound waves bounce off the prostate. These soundwaves create echoes, which a computer uses to create a picture called a sonogramof the prostate.
Prostate Cancer Screening Interval of 4 Years Misses Few Cancers, StudyShows
Linda Wang, AssistantNews Editor, Katherine Arnold, News Editor, Journal of the National CancerInstitute
A 4-year screening interval was adequate to detect most cancers ina large European randomized trial of prostate cancer screening, accordingto a study in the October 1 issue of the Journal of the NationalCancer Institute.
In the study, men were divided into two groups: an intervention group that received two scheduled screens 4 years apart, and a control group that did not receive scheduled screening. The researchers checked the Dutch national cancer registry annually for cases ofprostate cancer among the study participants.
Who Should Get A Digital Rectal Exam
Not all medical institutions agree on when men should begin screening for prostate cancer or even if a DRE should be part of the screening.
To help detect prostate cancer in its early stages, the American Cancer Society recommends that men talk to their doctors about the benefits, risks, and limitations of prostate cancer screening before deciding whether to be tested.
For most men at average risk, discussions about screening begin at age 50. However, some doctors recommend that men at higher risk of prostate cancer African-American men or men with a family history of prostate cancer start screening earlier.
You May Like: What Is Perineural Invasion In Prostate Cancer
Reach Out To Us Today
Prostate screenings are crucial to have so that men can catch any signs of prostate cancer early on. Once a man reaches the ages of 40 and above, it is best that he begins to consult with a doctor about this test.
If you have questions about getting a prostate screening and the importance of them, then reach out to our office so that we can help you further. Give us a call or stop by our office today and wed be happy to assist you in any way that we can.
Request an appointment here: or call Center for Adult Medicine and Preventive Care at for an appointment in our Passaic office.
Check out what others are saying about our services on Yelp: Read our Yelp reviews.
What Happens After A Clinical Exam
Your next steps will depend on what, if any, symptoms your doctor observed during the clinical exam.
Here are some possibilities:
- Youre referred to a urologist;or other specialist for specialized testing and diagnosis.
- You get further testing done;to diagnose conditions that may be causing genital abnormalities or growths.
- Youre prescribed medication;that can relieve symptoms of genital abnormalities or dysfunction.
- Youre referred to a;therapist or counselor;if the cause of your genital abnormalities is;psychological;or;emotional.
Dont Miss: Does Cialis Shrink The Prostate
Read Also: Prostatic Definition
Do All Men Who Are Treated For Prostate Cancer Lose Sexual And Urinary Function
Its definitely not true that all men are incontinent and impotent after treatment for prostate cancer. Urinary incontinence is usually temporary.;
There can be a sexual impact for guys who have normal function. If the cancer is near their nerve bundle, theyre going to have a decrease in sexual function. If its not, and we can do bilateral nerve sparing surgery, studies show 70 percent can get back their normal sexual function. It all depends on where the cancer is. But the truth is that we cant predict very well who will be the 30 percent who will haveor still haveED; some already do have ED because of age, diabetes, hypertension or renal failure.
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!
You May Like: External Prostate Massage Prostatitis
What Will My Results Tell Me
If youâve never had a PSA test before, it will provide you with a baseline total PSA level. Youâll use this level initially to understand your likelihood of potential prostate cancer â but you can also use this test to compare your PSA level year-over-year to understand the health of your prostate. If your test flags a high PSA level, your physician can pursue further diagnostic testing if needed.
The Evaluation Criteria Of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Self Prostate Exam
Subjects were able to determine scores from 0 to 5 based on never, less than one-fifth,less than half,about half,more than half, and almost always
7. How many times do you usually get up from bedtime till next morning?
Subjects were able to determine the score from 0 to 5 according to never, once, twice, three times, four times and five times
0 points to 7 points for mild symptoms
8 points to 19 points for moderate symptoms
20 points to 35 points for severe symptoms
Summary
It is generally believed that mild symptoms only need follow-up, and moderate symptoms and severe symptoms were required for drug treatment and surgery. However, if any of the seven questions score more than three points, then even if the total score is not high, patients should also consider adopting the appropriate treatment.
The incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia often increases with age, the incidence rate of 40 to 79-year-old male is about 50%, while the incidence rate of 80 years of age is as high as 83%.
Recommended Reading: What Is Perineural Invasion In Prostate Cancer
Who Should Be Screened And When
A variety of factors determine when and who should be screened. “Prostate screening is considered for men ages 55 to 69 but can be continued above age 70 in healthy men. Screening for prostate cancer may be considered for men between the ages of 40 and 54 in those at higher risk for cancer ,” says Dr. Christiansen. “Men outside the age range of 55 to 69 may still need to undergo prostate-specific antigen blood testing or a prostate exam to assist with the diagnosis and management of benign prostatic hyperplasia or other urologic conditions.”;;The American Urologic Association guidelines do not recommend routine screening in men between ages 40 to 54 years who are at average risk. For men younger than age 55 at higher risk, prostate cancer screening decisions should be individualized. A routine screening interval of two years or more may be preferred over annual screening in those men who have participated in shared decision making with their doctor.
Prostate Cancer Screening Ages 40 To 54
The PSA test is a blood test that measures how much of a particular protein is in your blood. Its been the standardfor prostate cancer screening for 30 years.
Your doctor will consider many factors before suggesting when to startprostate cancer screening. But hell probably start by recommending the PSAtest.
While the general guidelines recommend starting at age 55, you may need PSAscreening between the ages of 40 and 54 if you:
- Have at least one first-degree relative who has had prostate cancer
- Have at least two extended family members who have had prostate cancer
- Are African-American, an ethnicity that has a higher risk of developing more aggressive cancers
Also Check: Va Disability Rating For Enlarged Prostate
Living With Prostate Cancer
As prostate cancer usually progresses very slowly, you can live for decades without symptoms or needing treatment.
Nevertheless, it can affect your life. As well as the possible side effects of treatment, a diagnosis of prostate cancer can understandably make you feel anxious or depressed.
You may find it beneficial to talk about the condition with your family, friends, a family doctor and other men with prostate cancer.
Financial support is also available if prostate cancer reduces your ability to work.
Dont Miss: Can An Enlarged Prostate Cause Constipation
Ways To Perform Self Prostate Exam For Most Common Prostate Diseases
How do you perform self prostate exam? Do you know that you have got a problem with your penis? The answer is not very clear.
You can insert your finger, as described in my own page of self prostate massage, you may have some ideas, but not sure. It should be soft and not hard, painless soft touch, and feel smooth without caking. Make sure you use gloves and lubricate to make insertion easier. To be gentle!
DRE or digital rectal examination by a trained urologist will provide you with the information you need. He would be very hesitant if he wants to do a biopsy. This is because the procedure has a lot of risks. He may underestimate the path of the invasion including the act if he finds the slightest sign of cancer.
Due to prostate disease symptoms often have no specificity, which means that prostate disease is difficult to distinguish only from the symptoms. So when you have these symptoms, you should also check through many other exams to finally determine whether it is really a prostate disease. It is best to get aids from professional hospitals as soon as possible to find a solution. Urinary problems can warn male urinary system, including many organs, such as lower urinary tract, the bladder, prostate and urethra, they have;directly relations to the appearance of urinary symptoms.
Also Check: Is Viagra Good For Enlarged Prostate
When To Get Tested
The USPTF and other medical experts recommend taking questions about prostate exams to the doctor. Thats because answers about the benefits and risks of prostate exams and when to get tested are personal they vary based on a persons age, family history and overall health.
The 2017 USPTF guidelines suggest that screening should start at:
- Age 40 for anyone with a family history of prostate cancer
- Age 45 for African Americans
- Age 50 for everyone else
Follow-up tests may not be necessary depending on risk and the outcome of the first test. Because the disease develops slowly, tests usually stop after age 70.
Research Into Prostate Cancer Screening
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 werenât.;
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.
Recommended Reading: How To Massage A Manâs Prostate
Read Also: What Is The Va Disability Rating For Prostate Cancer
Two Main Screening Tests
There are two tests commonly used to screen for prostate cancer:
- The Digital Rectal Exam : A doctor or nurse inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to estimate the size of the prostate and feel for lumps or other abnormalities.
- The Prostate Specific Antigen Test: This exam measures the level of PSA in the blood. The levels of PSA in the blood are often higher in men who have prostate cancer. The PSA level may also be high in other conditions that affect the prostate.Usually, the higher the bloods PSA level is, the more likely it is that a prostate problem is present. But other factors, such as age and race, also can raise PSA levels. PSA levels also can be impacted by certain medical procedures, some medications, an enlarged prostate or a prostate infection.
Since your PSA level may be high for other reasons, your doctor will need to interpret the test results.
If the results of the PSA and/or DRE suggest that you might have;prostate cancer, your doctor will need to do a prostate biopsy to find out. This means a sample of your prostate tissue will be removed with a needle and sent to a lab, where a specialist will determine if it contains cancer cells.
Benefits And Harms Of Screening
The benefit of screening is that the disease is often curable with early detection .; Common treatments like surgery or radiation aim to remove or kill all cancerous cells in the prostate.; If the cancer spreads beyond the prostate before it is treated, it is often fatal.; However, the cancer usually grows so slowly that it is often equally safe to wait until there are symptoms before attempting to diagnose prostate cancer. Symptoms of prostate cancer might include urinary problems, difficulty having an erection, or blood in the urine or semen.
The harms of screening include 1) inaccurate results leading to unnecessary biopsies and complications, and 2) complications from unnecessary treatment. Even if a man has prostate cancer, if he does not have symptoms he may not need to be treated. Experts estimate that between 18% and 85% of prostate cancers detected by these screening tests would never become advanced enough to harm the patient.; This wide range of uncertainty, however just adds to the confusion.
Unnecessary treatment costs a lot of money, but the main concern is the complications, which include serious and long-lasting problems, such as urinary incontinence and impotence.15
Recommended Reading: What Is Perineural Invasion
Annual Prostate Exams Might Save Your Virility Your Continence Your Life
Its something most men of a certain age dread and has served as a popular topic of jokes for years, but one leading urologist for OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group in Escanaba, Michigan, sees a decline in men getting properly screened for prostate cancer as a real danger.
According to urologist Michael Harris, MD, all men over the age of 50 with a life expectancy greater than 10 years should get screened for prostate cancer every year. If you have a family history of prostate cancer or youre African-American, you should begin getting screened annually at the age of 40. Prostate cancer is very treatable, and the earlier its detected, the better.
The prostate sits in front of the rectum and below the bladder. It wraps around the urethra and makes the fluid part of semen. If you catch prostate cancer when the tumor is small, surgery to remove the tumor will result in less damage to the nerves and sphincter, which means you can better maintain your potency and continence.
American Cancer Society Recommendations For Prostate Cancer Early Detection
The American Cancer Society recommends that men have a chance to make an informed decision with their health care provider about whether to be screened for prostate cancer. The decision should be made after getting information about the uncertainties, risks, and potential benefits of prostate cancer screening. Men should not be screened unless they have received this information. The discussion about screening should take place at:
- Age 50 for men who are at average risk of prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 more years.
- Age 45 for men at high risk of developing prostate cancer. This includes African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age .
- Age 40 for men at even higher risk .
After this discussion, men who want to be screened should get the prostate-specific antigen blood test. The digital rectal exam may also be done as a part of screening.
If, after this discussion, a man is unable to decide if testing is right for him, the screening decision can be made by the health care provider, who should take into account the mans general health preferences and values.
If no prostate cancer is found as a result of screening, the time between future screenings depends on the results of the PSA blood test:
- Men who choose to be tested who have a PSA of less than 2.5 ng/mL may only need to be retested every 2 years.
- Screening should be done yearly for men whose PSA level is 2.5 ng/mL or higher.
Recommended Reading: How To Massage A Man’s Prostate