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Sep17
PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN TEST(AGE SPECIFIC)
Prostate cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed and the third leading cause of cancer deaths among men in western countries , but most men with the disease dont die from it. In the United States a man has 15.8% chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer but the risk of dying is 2.8%. The American cancer society still recommends that men at high risk and those 50 and over should be screened. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the cells of prostate gland. The PSA test measures the level of PSA in blood. Because this antigen is produced by the body and can be used to detect diseases, they are also called biological markers or tumor markers.New studies show that men who have low prostate specific antigen at 60yrs of age , do not really need future screening. But what do you say to men who are 40, 50 or 55 ? All men should start having their PSA levels checked before the age of 60, then at 60 if the PSA is less than 1 nanogram / ml , they are at low risk of prostate cancer. According to researchers , PSA level at age 60 is a good predictor of who were at risk , and that low levels at age 60 means you are unlikely to benefit from subsequent PSA tests as your risk of metastasis or death from prostate cancer is very low.Conversely , men with high PSA reading- 2ng/ ml or above should be monitored and screened, as they are at higher risk. A digital rectal examination (DRE) and PSA levels are used for screening. PSA can be elevated in both benign and cancerous conditions of the prostate , and the level tends to increase with age. The use of age specific PSA reference ranges are suggested as more accurate. Men at risk and above 50 and over should talk with their doctors about the risk and benefits of screening.The American Cancer Society also stresses that in some cases - such as men over 50 who are not expected to live for another 10 yrs , such tests should not be offered because they will cause more harm than good with treatments that has unpleasant side effects such as incontinence and impotence which can greatly affect the quality of their lives.


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