It Is Important To Be Aware Of Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines

By Tyree W. Weissnat


I was always impressed that my father took such good care of himself and went regularly to the doctor to get screened for prostate cancer, but I was horrified when we learned that the doctor he had been seeing had not kept up on current prostate cancer screening guidelines. I guess that I shouldn't have been so surprised, since my father lives in a small town and the one doctor in town is not a specialist; instead, he handles anyone and anything that is brought to him.

I was concerned about my father and his health, so I dove in and tried to research everything I could find about the most current prostate cancer screening guidelines. So, for that reason, I spent several hours on the Internet finding out about what the guidelines were and how they had been set in place. I learned that it was a wise move to look into it and I found that the guidelines change frequently as doctors find new treatments for cancer and new ways to detect cancer as early as achievable.

While I researched, I learned that there are in actuality two different sets of guidelines, and they are published by two different organizations that work together to eliminate prostate cancer and try to get people screened regularly. One of the organizations was the American Cancer Society, so I happily downloaded their guidelines and made a few copies, one for myself and one for my dad. The other set of guidelines I saw was from the American Urological Association and though they were different, they were quite helpful.

While I was doing all of this research, I was learning all I could about screening for prostate cancer, and I came across a recommendation for PSA tests for prostate cancer. I found that the tests were just simple blood tests, and they analyze the blood to find antigens that are caused by prostate cancer.

After learning about all of this, I called my dad and asked him if he was getting these tests, and my spirits rose when he told me that he was and even his small town doctor knew about these tests and how important they are. There are several people in my family who think I worry too much, but we do have a history of prostate cancer in our family, and I just want to do all I can to keep my loved ones informed so that they can take the necessary steps to prevent this awful disease.




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