Men should pay attention to prostate cancer screening

Prostate cancer prefers the elderly, and the incidence rate has increased rapidly in recent years. With the arrival of an aging society, prostate cancer should attract more public attention. Men over 50 should undergo prostate cancer screening once a year. Urgency, frequent urination, and frequent urination at night may be caused by prostate cancer. Prostate health concerns every man, but once a problem occurs, it is often difficult to talk about.

Symptoms such as difficulty urinating, increased nocturia, and incomplete urination may not all be attributed to prostatitis and hyperplasia. Behind these symptoms, there may be prostate cancer. As one of the most common malignant tumors in men, the incidence of prostate cancer has increased rapidly in recent years.

Taking Guangzhou as an example, the incidence of the disease has doubled in the past decade. When the tumor grows, it can compress the urethra, causing symptoms similar to prostate hyperplasia, such as frequent urination, urgency, difficulty urinating, and frequent urination at night. In the late stage, patients will experience urinary retention or even complete inability to urinate. In clinical practice, some "hidden prostate cancer" can also be encountered. Some patients did not find abnormal urination at first, and only knew that they had prostate cancer until they had bone pain or even pathological fractures. At this time, the tumor has metastasized to the pelvis and spine.

Screening should be advanced to 45 years old for those with relevant family history. High-risk groups for prostate cancer include those with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and pathological changes in the prostate. People over 50 whose fathers or brothers have prostate cancer also have a higher risk of developing the disease than ordinary people. Since prostate cancer is difficult to prevent, early detection becomes very important. Men over 50 should have blood drawn to check prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and rectal examination, and those who have the conditions can do prostate B-ultrasound.

Rectal examination, which is often resisted by those who undergo physical examination, can actually help detect prostate cancer early. For health reasons, men should not be afraid of doctors doing rectal examinations. What needs to be noted is that some prostate cancer patients do not have high PSA values. Therefore, in order to avoid missing any fish, those who have the conditions can also do prostate B-ultrasound.

The screening age for those with a family history of prostate cancer should be advanced to 45 years old. If the first PSA test value is low, a second test can be performed every two to three years. If the first PSA screening value is high, further tests should be performed according to the doctor's advice, and the screening frequency should be higher than that of ordinary people.