Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men, and about 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with it in their lifetime. In order to raise awareness about this disease, September was designated as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and serves as a reminder for many men to get the testing they need to ensure they’re healthy.
High-risk groups for prostate cancer include men ages 50 and older, African American men, and men whose fathers or brothers have been diagnosed with it. Symptoms vary, and there are some men who actually have no symptoms at all.
It’s recommended that men begin receiving annual testing at age 50, or at age 45 for men with previous family history of prostate cancer. The most common method of testing is Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing. The test measures the amount of PSA found in your blood. If the levels are high, that can be a signifier of prostate cancer, but it could indicate other conditions as well, such as an enlarged or inflamed prostate.
For more information on PSA testing, visit Quest Diagnostics.