Prostate cancer is the second-leading cancer killer of American men. An estimated 189,000 US men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and 30,200 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Though annual blood tests for prostate cancer are often recommended by doctors, many men hoping to detect early signs of the malignancy may not need the test so frequently.

Men with a very low reading on their initial prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test can be tested once every 5 years with little chance that their PSA levels will "skyrocket" in the meantime.

PSA is a protein that, when elevated, can indicate prostate cancer. A very low PSA level is below 1 nanogram per milliliter of blood. A PSA level of 4 ng/mL or higher is considered elevated, while 3 ng/mL is viewed as normal. In the study, more than 90% of study participants had normal PSA levels at baseline.

The study of nearly 28,000 US men also concluded that a PSA test every 2 years would suffice for men with a baseline PSA of 1 to 1.9 ng/mL.

The American Cancer Society and the American Urological Association support annual PSA testing and digital rectal exams beginning at age 50 for most men.

However, many medical groups, including the National Cancer Institute, leave the decision up to patients and their doctors because no study to date had confirmed that screening actually saves lives. ASCO has no position on prostate cancer screening, according to a spokesperson.

If US men followed the guidelines of the study, there would be a 55% decrease in the number of annual screenings at a cost savings of $500 million to $1 billion.

And 99% of men would have a normal PSA result on the years that they skipped testing.

As for men with baseline PSA levels of 2 to 3.9, they should probably be more closely watched, with annual screenings, because they are more likely to experience elevations in their PSA levels that put them in more of a potential danger zone.

The findings were drawn from a sample of 27,863 men aged 55 to 74 participating in a large ongoing study by the National Cancer Institute. One of the goals of this study is to determine whether prostate cancer screening, both PSA testing and digital rectal exams, are beneficial.

Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Orlando, FA May 20, 2002

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

One of the areas where traditional medicine is particularly good at is diagnostic screenings. Since prostate cancer is the number one cancer in men, it makes sense to implement the suggestion of this study, which provides a strong suggestion that it would be wise for men to start their PSA screenings at 40 years old rather than 50. If the test is positive however, one should not jump in the traditional paradigm and have a biopsy as the next step, unless the level is extremely elevated. Additionally a free PSA test may be a useful step prior to a biopsy. It makes far more sense to implement the eating plan that will lower insulin levels. Elevated insulin levels will promote the conversion of testosterone to 5 dihydroxy-testosterone (5HT) which is believed to be the major risk factor for the development of prostate cancer. Other useful measures as suggested by the links below: Optimized Omega 6:3 Ratio Vegetable juicing Ground Flax Seeds Vitamin D Avoiding Milk Natural Progesterone Selenium 400 mcg per day Vitamin E 400 units Stress treatment with EFT It is interesting to note that the most common cancer in women, breast cancer, also appears to be related to vitamin D. Related Articles: Vegetables Lower Prostate Cancer Risk Study Links Dairy Products To Prostate Cancer Activated Vitamin D (Calcitriol) Slows Proliferation of Human Prostate Cancer Cells New Urine Test for Prostate Cancer Does Vitamin E Prevent Breast Cancer