Prostate Cancer Seen in Younger Men
Prostate Cancer Seen in Younger Men
May 29, 2002 -- As doctors become better at finding prostate cancer, younger men are being told they have this potentially deadly disease. While this allows earlier treatment, some question whether this is a good thing.
From 1995 to 2001, the number of men aged 50 to 59 being diagnosed with prostate cancer jumped by 45%. Researchers presented their dramatic findings at a meeting of prostate cancer specialists.
That does not mean a new epidemic is upon us. Thanks to better awareness of prostate cancer and the use of PSA blood testing, doctors are finding more tumors, and they are finding them earlier.
PSA stands for "prostate-specific antigen," a protein produced by the prostate gland that circulates in the blood. If a blood test shows high PSA levels, it could mean that a tumor is growing in the prostate -- but not necessarily.
A high PSA level often leads to a prostate biopsy, which has led to an increase in the number of cancers detected.
PSA testing is controversial, however. While a high PSA level may indicate prostate cancer, it might also just mean that a man has an enlarged prostate -- a common, and benign, finding in aging men.
Many doctors check PSA levels in men starting at age 50 -- or earlier in men at high risk, such as blacks or men with a family history of prostate cancer. But some experts don't think all men over 50 should be screened. Prostate cancer grows so slowly that men often die "with it, not of it," so it's possible that early detection may not lead to fewer deaths.
Studies are being done now to find out whether that's true, but they will take a long time to complete. According to urologist Myron Murdock, MD, even results from a 10-year study might not give us the answers that we need. Again, that's because prostate cancer can grow for so long before it becomes deadly.
Lacking a clear answer, a better-safe-than-sorry policy seems to make sense. "They used to have arguments like this about Pap smears," says William Catalona, MD, professor of urology at Washington University in St. Louis. Now, women are told to get them yearly to check for abnormalities of the cervix that could become cancerous.
From 1995 to 2001, the number of men aged 50 to 59 being diagnosed with prostate cancer jumped by 45%. Researchers presented their dramatic findings at a meeting of prostate cancer specialists.
That does not mean a new epidemic is upon us. Thanks to better awareness of prostate cancer and the use of PSA blood testing, doctors are finding more tumors, and they are finding them earlier.
PSA stands for "prostate-specific antigen," a protein produced by the prostate gland that circulates in the blood. If a blood test shows high PSA levels, it could mean that a tumor is growing in the prostate -- but not necessarily.
A high PSA level often leads to a prostate biopsy, which has led to an increase in the number of cancers detected.
PSA testing is controversial, however. While a high PSA level may indicate prostate cancer, it might also just mean that a man has an enlarged prostate -- a common, and benign, finding in aging men.
Many doctors check PSA levels in men starting at age 50 -- or earlier in men at high risk, such as blacks or men with a family history of prostate cancer. But some experts don't think all men over 50 should be screened. Prostate cancer grows so slowly that men often die "with it, not of it," so it's possible that early detection may not lead to fewer deaths.
Studies are being done now to find out whether that's true, but they will take a long time to complete. According to urologist Myron Murdock, MD, even results from a 10-year study might not give us the answers that we need. Again, that's because prostate cancer can grow for so long before it becomes deadly.
Lacking a clear answer, a better-safe-than-sorry policy seems to make sense. "They used to have arguments like this about Pap smears," says William Catalona, MD, professor of urology at Washington University in St. Louis. Now, women are told to get them yearly to check for abnormalities of the cervix that could become cancerous.
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