Do I need prostate cancer screening at 50 if my dad had it?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 50-year-old man living in a cold-weather country, and my doctor recommended that I start screening for prostate cancer, especially since my dad was diagnosed with it.

I am nervous about the PSA test and the digital rectal exam. My concerns are -

Are they necessary at my age, and how often should I do them?
Are there any new screening methods that might be less invasive or more accurate?

I just want to make sure I am being proactive about my health.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

Prostate cancer is a stage after prostate enlargement, which is known as BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia). Heredity is one of the causes, and other causes are unknown.

It has the following symptoms:

Frequent urination.
Inability to empty the urine fully.
Did not satisfy after urination due to the low amount of urine being excreted in frequent episodes.
Sometimes, they have urinary tract infections.

If you have the above-mentioned symptoms, you have to take a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, USG (ultrasound sonography test) of the pelvis to determine prostate cancer.USG and PSA are the gold standard methods to find out about prostate enlargement.

I hope I have answered your question.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards.