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To understand the benefits of Prostate Cancer Risk
Assessment, it will be helpful to understand what is
presently being done in this country to try and find
prostate cancer. It is also important to know the
following:
• Not all prostate cancers need immediate treatment.
• Not all prostate cancers will cause you a problem
in your lifetime. This may sound incredible but it is
true.
• Screening for prostate cancer is not recommended
in all age groups. It is not recommended if your life
expectancy is less than 10-15 years.
• The “Total” PSA test (generally requested by
doctors) is not the most reliable at finding prostate
cancer.
• The DRE (digital rectal examination) does not
always find the deadly kinds of prostate cancer.
• Your doctor’s present approach to finding prostate
cancer may not be according to current standards.
• The ONLY way to make a diagnosis of prostate
cancer is by looking at tissue removed from the
prostate gland.
Why should you have a Prostate Cancer Risk
Assessment?
It is generally considered the present
standard of care when trying to find the deadly kinds
of prostate cancer and it takes into consideration more
information like your age, if you have a family history
“Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment”
Understanding the benefits of a
Source: prostate-cancer-ribbon.blogspot.com
of prostate cancer and whether you are presently
having urinary symptoms.
What is involved?
You have two blood tests done
and you are asked to provide up to 5 other bits of
information. All this information is then put into a
scientific formula that gives you an answer in the form
of a percentage (%).
What’s next?
You take the results to your doctor who
will have a discussion with you as to whether it is in
your best interest to have a prostate biopsy to make
sure you do not have the deadly kind of prostate
cancer.
What is available to help your doctor have this
discussion with you?
A general guideline like the one
listed below.
Doctors are generally not interested in finding the
prostate cancers that do not require treatment. This is
why they focus on the deadly kinds.
Why are so many doctors still just doing the “Total”
PSA test and DRE (for men who do not mind having it
done)? Good question. Unfortunately I do not have a
good answer. It has already been established that the
“Total” PSA test is unreliable as a screening method
and the DRE can only detect cancer that has grown”
Dennis Webster
