(RxWiki News) September is prostate cancer awareness month, and the latest statistics of new cases have been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the latest statistics released by the CDC, new cases of prostate cancer and deaths from the disease have been steadily declining in recent years.
"Screening for prostate cancer is improving, ask your doctor."
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men of all ages. It is seen more often in African American men than in white men. And it's less common among Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and Native American men than white men.
The CDC's latest figures from 2007 showed that 223,307 men developed the cancer, and 29,093 died from it. New cases fell significantly fell by 2.4 percent annually between 2000 and 2006.
The number of prostate cancer deaths also declined substantially - 4.1 percent a year between 1994 and 2006. The latest figures from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts & Figures 2011 estimate:
- 240,890 new cases
- 33,720 deaths
Medical experts are not in total agreement regarding screening for prostate cancer, so you'll want to discuss this with your doctor.
Brian Miles, M.D., a urologist with The Methodist Hospital in Houston, tells dailyRx recommends that men who have a family history of the disease begin yearly screening at age 40.
Men with no family history can start screening at age 50. This should be an annual screen for several years, according to Dr. Miles. If results are normal for both tests for three years, then screening can drop to every other year.
Dr. Miles says the most reliable testing involves both the PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test and a digital rectal exam.
For more information about prostate cancer, please see resources below.
