Prostate cancer often causes no problems because it grows slowly and stays in the prostate gland. But some types of prostate cancer spread quickly and need treatment.
Regular screening can lower your risk of dying from prostate cancer by finding cancer early, when it’s easier to treat.
Screening can also find cancer that grows slowly. This kind of cancer may worry some people and cause them to get treatment they may not need.
Other people may feel comfortable managing this low-risk prostate cancer without aggressive treatment. They choose a careful monitoring program called active surveillance. It’s a form of treatment and is not the same as having no treatment. If your care team sees changes in your prostate or tumor they may recommend you stop active surveillance. You may start another treatment, such as surgery or radiation therapy.
A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a simple blood test. You should only consider getting a PSA if you’re comfortable managing low-risk prostate cancer with active surveillance. You may need a biopsy if the PSA is high. A biopsy is a procedure to get a sample of cells or tissue to examine.
Read more about prostate cancer.
MSK’s screening guidelines for prostate cancer
Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk for prostate cancer and when screening is right for you. If you decide to have prostate cancer screening, MSK recommends you follow these guidelines. They apply to people at average risk who are expected to live 10 years or longer.
The guidelines may be different from those of other groups of experts. You and your healthcare provider may choose other options for having a prostate biopsy or your screening schedule.
