Early detection is the key to treating prostate cancer which is the second leading cause of death by cancer among men in America. About 85% of the cases are diagnosed in men between the ages of 55 and 84, so this is of concern for senior men. This result indicates that advancing age is major risk factor for prostate cancer. At the present time the best diagnostic tool for early detection of prostate cancer is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test combined with the digital rectal exam. The importance of early detection of prostate cancer is confirmed by the reported reduction in the number of deaths by about 8% in 2006 as a result of the early detection of the disease using the PSA test. The good news for senior men is that prostate cancer is nearly 100% survivable if it is detected early.
At this time some advances are being achieved to improve the PSA testing and its interpretation. Several advances include PSA velocity, PSA density the ratio of free to total PSA. These measures can help determine the need for a biopsy. It turns out that a new test for prostate cancer is under development, that is known as the early prostate cancer antigen-2 (EPCA-2) which may be more cancer specific and more accurate. The bottom line for senior men over 50 years of age is that they should have a yearly PSA blood test combined with a digital rectal exam.