Prostate Screening: Motivating Factors and Barriers

Prostate Cancer is the second most common cancer that affect men after lung cancer. The cause of prostate cancer is largely unknown but the risk of developing it increases after the ages of 50 and 40 years among Whites and Blacks respectively. Prostate cancer develops very slowly, takes several years to manifest and often spreads to other parts of the body with very low cure rates by the time of diagnosis. Actually, most men die with this cancer and not of it. The survival rate of prostate cancer is between 5 and 10 years for all stages of the disease. Early detection of prostate cancer before it becomes clinically significant, markedly improves cure rates. Two screenings for prostate cancer; Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)test are recommended annually for men 40 years and older for early detection and prevention of prostate cancer. Diet low in fat, high in vegetables and fruits, avoiding excessive meat eating and alcohol abuse may reduce a man's risk of prostate cancer. Your health care provider can give you more information about prostate screening and prevention of prostate cancer.