UCLA Expert Urges Prostate Cancer Screening From Age 40 or 50 as 290,000 U.S. Cases Loom
Updated
Updated · UCLA Health · Aug 31
UCLA Expert Urges Prostate Cancer Screening From Age 40 or 50 as 290,000 U.S. Cases Loom
1 articles · Updated · UCLA Health · Aug 31
Summary
Prostate cancer is expected to strike more than 290,000 U.S. men a year, and UCLA's Robert Reiter said early detection through PSA blood testing is often the only way to catch it while curable.
Age 40 screening is recommended for men with a family history or for African American men, while others should start at 50; a first-degree male relative roughly doubles risk, and genetics may account for at least 70% of cases.
PSA testing comes first, followed by MRI or other tests if levels are elevated, then biopsy if imaging is abnormal; Reiter said 30% to 50% of diagnosed patients may not need immediate treatment.
About 34,000 men die from prostate cancer each year, making it the second-leading cause of cancer death in men, even as survival has improved with better treatments over the past 20 years.
UCLA is running trials spanning PET imaging, radiation oncology and experimental immunotherapy or vaccine approaches, reflecting a broader push for more accurate diagnosis and less harmful treatment.