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Detection
When
should a man begin to undergo prostate
cancer screening?
To
determine when annual prostate examinations
should commence, a man should research
his family history for occurrences of
prostate cancer and create a risk tree.
To do this:
- List
all the men on both the maternal and
paternal sides of the family back
to the grandfather generation.
- List
ages and whether they were diagnosed
with or died of prostate cancer.
(If there is insufficient information,
then make an educated guess and note
that this is an uncertain conclusion.)
- List
any other medical problems they may
have had.
(This could be an alert to
risk factors for other conditions
that should be monitored.)
After
completing the history, a healthcare
provider can be consulted to determine
when yearly exams should begin.
Presuming a man has a life expectancy
of at least 10 years, the rule of thumb
is that if a man is black, has a strong
family history of prostate cancer, or
is not aware of his family history,
exams should begin at the age of 40.
If there is no history of prostate
cancer, exams should begin at age 50.
Who
performs prostate cancer exams?
There
are many types of physicians who perform
prostate examinations—primary care doctors,
internists, radiation oncologists, medical
oncologists and urologists.
It is important to see a doctor
who is skilled in performing this exam.
It is preferable that the same doctor
perform the digital rectal examination
each year, if possible.
By doing so, it is easier for
the doctor to detect changes in the
prostate.
Whoever performs the examinations
should provide a detailed written report,
with diagrams indicating any abnormalities
present, so that information will be
available at subsequent examinations
and to other physicians in the event
a change of doctors becomes necessary.
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