Men should get checked for prostate cancer by age 50 at the latest.

African-American men and men with family history of prostate cancer should get tested by age 40.

Be aware, aggressive prostate cancer may occur in younger men even if the PSA looks normal.

Before accepting a diagnosis of prostate cancer make sure benign disease, prostatitis and other inflammatory conditions have been eliminated.

Before selecting treatment for prostate cancer make sure you know your clinical stage and your Gleason score. Get copies of all your records and test results.
Get your Gleason score (based on biopsy your biopsy slides) double-checked by a pathologist who specliazes in prostate cancer.
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, learn about all your treatment options.
Discuss treatment side-effects and longterm survival with urologists, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists who specialize in treating prostate cancer.

	What tests do you need to start out?
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)	+	Digital rectal exam (DRE)
	Test results

If one or more results is abnormal		If both test results are normal
Possible causes: prostate cancer, BPH, prostatitis		Return regularly for PSA and DRE testing If biopsy was negative after abnormal PSA or DRE, consider color doppler ultrasound from a specialist.
For definitive (best) diagnosis: Get prostate biopsy		Biopsy negative (NO sign or evidence of cancer)
Biopsy positive (shows evidence of prostate cancer) Ask for Gleason score and get biopsy slides looked at by a specialist in prostate cancer pathology		Select Treatment Learn about all your options Discuss side-effects and longterm survival with urologists, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists who specialize in treating prostate cancer.
Based on chart in Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Best Practice Policy, American Urological Association, Inc. (AUA) March 1, 2000. Not intended as medical advice. Consult your doctor(s) about prostate cancer and any other prostate and health problems. For Chart 2 showing use of "free"-PSA test click here. Related Info Test for "Free" PSA might show you don't need a biopsy PSA Test for Prostate Cancer Shown to Have Normal Fluctuation... Suggests Test Be Repeated Before Biopsy: May 2003 PSA testing, What Urologists say For Biopsy Reading, Get Second Opinion Recurrence: If PSA comes back after surgery

last updated December 22, 2005

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