What You Should Know About Prostate Cancer Screening

The prostate is a small gland in males that aids in reproduction. Prostate cancer is one the most common types of cancer, and when it's detected early, often by a simple blood test, it has the best chance for successful treatment.

"Prostate cancer is incredibly common, probably going to be diagnosed in about 300,000 men this year in the United States," says Dr. Oliver Sartor, a Mayo Clinic medical oncologist.

Dr. Sartor, whose practice is focused on prostate cancer, stresses the importance of screening for the disease with a prostate-specific antigen test, or PSA.

"I think the No. 1 issue of being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer is not getting a PSA," he says.

It's a blood test that's analyzed for prostate-specific antigen, a substance naturally produced by your prostate. If a high amount of PSA is found in your bloodstream, it could indicate prostate infection, inflammation, enlargement or cancer.

"I think generally starting at age 50 is a very reasonable number to start getting a PSA. But if you are African American or have a significant family history of prostate cancer or have a genetic alteration that might predispose to prostate cancer, then you should probably get one even earlier," says Dr. Sartor.

If the PSA detects an abnormality, further tests, such as ultrasound, MRI or a biopsy, may be recommended to determine if you have prostate cancer.