Answers On Prostate Cancer Screening

By Olive Pate


Great progress has been made in cancer treatment. Prostate cancer screening is a process that involves the detection of cancerous growth before its symptoms become visible despite the slow growth of the cancerous cells which may grow or not.

There are two tests commonly used to screen the prostatic cancerous growth which is the Digital-Rectal exam where the doctor inserts a finger in gloves which has been lubricated into the rectum to feel and approximate the prostate gland and feel for any abnormalities such as the lumps.

The prostate specific antigen test which measures the quantity of the antigens specific to prostate and are made by the prostate in the blood. The PSA levels in men are considered to be higher in men with cancerous growth present in them. It may also increased by other factors affecting the glands. Certain medical procedures and medications as well as age and race may also affect the PSA levels.

After the PSA based screening tests a patient may test positive for asymptomatic cancer which may or may not develop over time. This entirely depends on the patient.

The main purpose of the screening is to reduce the deaths of the patients as well as the metastasization of the disease. Prostate tumor patients have three possible occurrences. Some of them may die despite the early detection and adequate treatment, some of them will survive even with no prior screening procedures and some of them survive with the early detection and proper adequate treatment however, there's a lesser chance of survival in this case.

However the screening procedure may harm the patient in some cases. The PSA test mostly produces a fifty-fifty results that are not certain it may be true or false. These results are mostly brought up due to negative psychological situations such as constant worrying about cancer. Men who undergo biopsy may experience pain, fever, infections, urinary difficulties and bleeding and are required to consult medical help and require constant follow up. The long-term effect of the PSA screening is yet to be fully discovered. Although certain studies carried out have shown that the cancer's mortality reduction rates after the screens are very small.

The screen detection and the treatment process of the tumor have caused most if not all effects experienced by most patients, they are too persistent and unprecedented thus may cause an early death.

Effects of the screen tests and also treatment process are experienced more than the benefits by the patients. Patients risk over treatment or over diagnosis of cancer due to the screening and treatment of a disease that would have remained asymptomatic all their lives. They risk going through health deteriorating effects.

Balance between the benefits and detriments of early diagnosis and treatment is necessary in determining if there's a chance of survival for the patient or proves to be detrimental to the prostate tumor due to the constant harm caused by the medical procedures.




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