More PSA Screenings Needed for At-Risk Groups

This week, Science Daily reported on Duke Medicine’s Prostate Center study that finds “one-fifth of men under age 50 reported undergoing a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to detect prostate cancer in the previous year. The study also finds that only 1 in 3 block men have had a PSA screening in the last year.

What does this mean? Researchers are saying African American men and men with high-risk of getting prostate cancer are not being screened for early detection. This is alarming.

“This research suggests we can do a better job of screening men at age 40, and a better job in high-risk men. There's a huge population of African American men who are not getting screened, and men with a family history of prostate cancer who are under 50 are also not getting screened.”

The study states there are many factors contributing to the reason why this at-risk group is not being screened such as: availability of health insurance, high household income, and education level.

You can read the article accompanied with this study here.