The PSA blood test…sounds harmless enough, and not that hard to do; and yet, according to a 2016 study published in JAMA International Medicine found that PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing- a blood test used to screen for prostate cancer- is on the decline. The study showed that between 2010 and 2012, PSA testing fell from around 36% to 16% among primary care physician visits. This means that on average, only 16% of primary care physicians were regularly screening their patients for prostate cancer. Another staggering statistic is the number of younger men being diagnosed with prostate cancer has increased nearly six fold in the last 20 years, and the disease is more likely to be aggressive in young men, according the a 2014 analysis performed by researchers at the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. When it comes to your own health, you are your best advocate. Ask your doctor about PSA testing. Do they recommend it, why or why not? It is okay to ask questions, and if it doesn’t feels right…seek a second opinion.
Click here to read one man’s opinion about prostate cancer and his journey with it: “Is the Medical Profession Failing Men with Prostate Cancer?”