In this video, Dr. Geo Espinosa, ND, LAc, IFMCP, CNS, clinical assistant professor of integrative and functional urology at New York University and author of Thrive—Don’t Survive: Dr. Geo’s Guide to Living Your Best Life Before & After Prostate Cancer, talks about PSA screening for prostate cancer and the controversies surrounding this test. A PSA test measures the levels of a specific protein produced by cancerous and noncancerous tissues in the prostate gland. A higher PSA level is associated with a greater risk for prostate cancer, but PSA level can be elevated for reasons that have nothing to do with cancer. And prostate cancer that is discovered through PSA testing can be so low-grade that treatment is not medically necessary. As a result, Dr. Geo says, up to 70% of men treated for prostate cancer may never have needed treatment at all. Further, you should never be treated for prostate cancer based on a single PSA test result. Instead, have at least three PSA tests to gauge the speed at which PSA levels are rising. There is also a test called a 4K score that is more sensitive than a PSA test, but a PSA test must be done first. Start with a PSA test at age 40 if you have a family history of prostate cancer…otherwise get tested at age 50.

Related Articles