If you are wondering when you are going to need a prostate cancer screening, the answer varies depending on your specific situation. Screening can save lives by helping find the cancer early, but it should be kept in mind that in the case of prostate cancer, the risks can sometimes outweigh the benefits. If you are a man who is wondering when you need a prostate cancer screening, the answer can be found by discussing your situation with your doctor. However, there are a few factors that can affect when the right time is for you, if you actually have to have a screening at all.
Though the most important part of deciding if/when you should be screened is a conversation with your doctor, there are things you should keep in mind about the importance of screening for different people. Men who are at average risk of prostate cancer should talk to their doctor starting at age 50, while those at higher than average risk should start talking to their doctor about it at age 40 or 45.
Those who are at higher than average risk are more likely to need to be screened. These include African American men, as well as men who have a son, brother, or father who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer under the age of 65. Those who have more than one close relative diagnosed before age 65 are at an even higher risk.
The reason not all men should be screened for prostate cancer is that screening is not perfect; the cancer can sometimes go undetected, and false positives also occur at times. Additionally, there are not yet reliable tests to differentiate between cancer that will be so slow-growing that it will not cause any real problems and cancer that will grow quickly and actually be an issue.
Contact Pure Medicine in Dallas and Frisco to schedule your prostate examination or to speak with our doctors for more information.
Pure Medicine
4645 Avon Lane, Suite 200
Frisco, TX 75033
Phone:
(469) 414-9660
