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11 August 2008
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High-risk men urged to undergo prostate screening
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MedWire News: Many young men at high risk of prostate cancer, such as African-American men and those with a family history of the disorder, are not receiving screening for the disease, researchers have found.
Current US guidelines recommend that all men aged at least 50 years should undergo prostate screening if they have a life expectancy of at least 10 years. But African Americans and men with a family history of the disease are encouraged to begin screening at the age of 45 years, or as early as 40 years, as they are known to have a high risk of developing prostate cancer.
However, little is known about prostate cancer screening rates among men aged between 40 and 49 years, explain Dr Charles Scales, from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, USA, and team.
To investigate, the researchers studied data on more than 58,000 US men, aged 40 years and older, who participated in a national survey in 2002.
Analysis of the responses revealed that, overall, one in five men, and one in three African American men, between the ages of 40 and 49 years had undergone a prostate specific antigen test in the past year.
The authors say the results are encouraging and show that doctors are more likely to recommend screening among younger high-risk African-American men, but add that screening rates in this group are still 'suboptimal'.
"There's a huge population of African-American men who are not getting screened, and men with a family history of prostate cancer who are under 50 are also not getting screened," commented co-researcher Dr Judd Moul, also from Duke University.
"Even a subtle increase in the prostate specific antigen value at that age is a pretty powerful predictor of future prostate disease and cancer."
He added: "This research suggests we can do a better job of screening men at age 40, and a better job in high-risk men."
The research will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Cancer.
Cancer 2008: Advance online publication
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/28741/home
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