Cancer society issues most specific prostate cancer screening guidelines yet

Key Points:

• The American Cancer Society (ACS) has updated its prostate cancer screening guidelines, now recommending all average-risk men aged 50 to 69 undergo PSA testing every two years, with higher-risk men starting at age 45.
• Men aged 70 to 74 should discuss screening benefits and risks with their doctors, while men 75 and older or those with less than 10 years of expected life should stop screening.
• Elevated PSA results may warrant additional MRI testing, and men with PSA levels of 3.0 or higher are advised to get annual screenings, whereas those with PSA 2.5 or lower should be tested every two years.
• The ACS update contrasts with other organizations: the CDC and USPSTF leave screening decisions to patients and doctors, the American Academy of Family Physicians does not recommend PSA screening, and the American College of Physicians and American Urological Association have more conservative or selective recommendations.
• Prostate cancer remains one of the most common cancers in U.S. men, with significant mortality disparities affecting Black men, who face higher incidence and death rates from the disease.