September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the risks of prostate cancer and encourage men to take control of their prostate health by getting their regular screenings. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers found in American men, second only to skin cancer. In 2020, the American Cancer Society estimates 191,930 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed, and 33,330 men will die from the disease. Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it, and if found early it can be treated/managed.
Prostate Cancer Early Detection
Early detection of prostate cancer often begins with a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test. While PSA is an effective initial prostate screening test, the result can be abnormal in a variety of benign (non-cancerous) conditions as well as in prostate cancer, and lacks the specificity to distinguish between aggressive, potentially lethal prostate cancer and less serious cancer forms. As a result, many men are subjected to invasive procedures, including prostate biopsies, which could be avoided. Approximately 25% of biopsies performed after an abnormal PSA screening test detect aggressive prostate cancer. The majority of prostate biopsies find either no cancer or detect the low-grade, slow-growing forms of prostate cancer
The 4Kscore Test
The 4Kscore Test is a follow-up blood test after an abnormal PSA and/or digital rectal exam (DRE) to assess your risk of aggressive prostate cancer using four prostate-specific biomarkers and your clinical information. The 4Kscore Test result assesses your risk probability of finding high-grade prostate cancer if a biopsy were performed and has been shown to categorize long-term risk of cancer metastasis or of dying from prostate cancer. Click here to learn more about the 4Kscore.
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
2020 has been a difficult and uncertain year for our nation, and as we ramp up to prepare for the next wave of COVID-19 this fall, now is more fitting than ever to consider the health and well-being of men and the diseases that directly impact them. This month we are joining the Prostate Cancer Foundation to raise awareness for prostate cancer and encourage men to talk with their providers about regular prostate cancer screenings. Click here to join the cause, get educated, get screened, be well, and go blue.
If you are a healthcare provider, click here to become a client so you can begin ordering 4Kscore and other prostate health tests from BioReference and GenPath today!
Source: American Cancer Society, Prostate Cancer Foundation
