Should i be screened for prostate cancer

Other organizations have different recommendations for screening: The U. Types of Cancer. Prostate Cancer Guide. Net Guide Prostate Cancer. Medical Illustrations. Risk Factors and Prevention. Symptoms and Signs. Stages and Grades. Types of Treatment. About Clinical Trials. Latest Research. Coping with Treatment. The PSA test is a blood test that measures how much of a particular protein called prostate-specific antigen is in your blood. Your doctor will consider many factors before suggesting when to start prostate cancer screening.

While the general guidelines recommend starting at age 55, you may need PSA screening between the ages of 40 and 54 if you:. This is the age range where men will benefit the most from screening. Most men will get prostate cancer if they live long enough.

Some prostate cancers are more aggressive; others can be slow-growing. Doctors will take your age and other factors into consideration before weighing the risks and benefits of treatment. The discussion should include a review of your risk factors and your preferences about screening.

You might consider starting the discussions sooner if you're black, have a family history of prostate cancer or have other risk factors. If you choose to have prostate cancer screening, most organizations recommend stopping around age 70 or if you develop other serious medical conditions that limit your life expectancy.

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This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Prostate cancer screening: Should you get a PSA test?

Products and services. Back to Prostate cancer. There's currently no screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK. This is because it has not been proved that the benefits would outweigh the risks. Routinely screening all men to check their prostate-specific antigen PSA levels is a controversial subject in the international medical community. There are several reasons for this.