The Prostate Cancer Foundation released new guidelines for prostate-specific antigen-based screening in Black men.
Black men are 70% to 110% more likely to develop prostate cancer in their lifetime and twice as likely to die from it, the American Cancer Society found. In an effort to reduce disparities, the Prostate Cancer Foundation created new guideline statements, it said in a Feb. 6 news release.
Here are new updates to the guidelines:
- Because of the demographic's high incidence rate for prostate cancer, the benefits of screening outweigh the risks.
- PSA blood tests should be considered the first-line method of detection, followed by further diagnostic tests, such as a biopsy, if PSA levels are found to be higher than normal.
- Decisions on PSA testing depend on individual preference and Black men should engage in the process with their provider.
- A baseline PSA test should start between the ages of 40 and 45, and regular screenings should continue until age 70.
- Black men over the age of 70 should talk with their physicians to determine whether PSA testing should continue.
- Black men with a higher risk of prostate cancer due to family history or known genetic variants should consider starting PSA screening as early as 40.