What To Know About Prostate Cancer Screenings
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. With this in mind, the healthcare providers here at Abraham Family Medicine wanted to take some time to discuss a few things men should know about prostate cancer screenings. It’s a fact that making and keeping annual screening appointments is a critical step for men trying to maintain their health and wellness as they age. However, it’s critical for men to fully understand the importance of screening appointments and their personal prostate cancer risk.
While it may not be possible to prevent illnesses like prostate cancer, regular screening appointments can ensure that the cancer is detected while it is in its earliest and most treatable stage. Thankfully prostate cancer is slow to metastasize relative to many other cancers. Still, if left untreated prostate cancer can spread throughout the body and become life-threatening for men.
There are two commonly used prostate cancer screening methods. Traditionally, healthcare providers have used what is known as a Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) to manually detect abnormalities within or around the prostate area. However, many doctors today prefer the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. PSAs are substances naturally produced by the prostate. Elevated PSA levels can be a sign of breast cancer or other conditions that affect the prostate like inflammation.
One thing men can do to better understand their risk of developing prostate cancer and how proactive they should be about starting annual prostate exams is identifying the risk factors commonly associated with the disease. Prostate cancer risk factors include:
- Being 50 years of age or older
- Having a close relative (a father, brother, or uncle) who developed prostate cancer before the age of 65
- Being of African American descent
- Eating a diet high in animal fats and low in fresh vegetables
We hope our readers found this helpful and informative. It’s not hyperbole to say that regular screening for prostate cancer can be legitimately life-saving for men as the years go on. We strongly recommend speaking with your healthcare provider about prostate health during your next annual physical appointment. For more information or if you would like to schedule an appointment, please contact Abraham Family Medicine today. We offer a wide variety of general healthcare services for people of all ages at our Snellville office, located very close to Grayson, Dacula, Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Lithonia, Loganville and Stone Mountain.
