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Prostate Cancer Education Council Adds a New Test for
Screening Prostate Cancer During Prostate Cancer Awareness
Week (PCAW)
NEW
YORK (The
Cancer Information Network) - For
the first time during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW)
men will receive an additional form of the standard PSA blood
test called complexed prostate specific antigen (cPSA).
Research found that the use of the cPSA test
results in fewer false positive diagnoses of prostate cancer
than commercially available tPSA and
reduces the number of biopsies necessary to detect the disease
by 44,000 each year in the United States.
The Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC) added cPSA
based on the growing weight of scientific evidence for this
test.
Prostate
cancer is currently
the most prevalent
form of cancer in men and the second leading cause of male
cancer death in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates
that 189,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this
year in the U.S., with 30,000 deaths attributable to this
disease.
To
test for prostate cancer, doctors use a simple physical test
combined with a blood test which measures a protein released
by the prostate called prostate specific antigen or PSA. The
cPSA test that the PCEC is now offering measures a specific
form of the PSA protein called complexed PSA or cPSA that
increases when a man
has prostate cancer. “We are very excited about evaluating
this form of PSA during PCAW,” said E. David Crawford, M.D.,
chairman
of the PCEC, which sponsors PCAW. “More than two-thirds (67
percent) of men taking part in PCAW last year said they did so
for peace of mind, to be certain they didn’t have prostate
cancer. We want them to know that the PCEC is proactive and
follows advances in testing methods.”
Screening
Guidelines
Prostate
cancer can usually be cured when detected early. The PCEC
Screening Guidelines recommend an annual prostate screening
for men over 45 and for men over 35 who are at high risk.
What
Is PSA?
PSA
is a protein produced by cells in the prostate. PSA has proven
to be an extremely useful marker for early detection of
prostate cancer and in monitoring patients for disease
progression and the effects of treatment. PSA levels of 4.0
ng/ml or less are usually considered normal; higher levels (4
to 10 ng/ml or higher) are often found in men with prostate
cancer.
However, current PSA testing generates false positives because
PSA levels can also increase due to noncancerous conditions of
the prostate which are increasingly common as men get older.
PSA testing can also generate false negatives because a
significant number of cases of prostate cancer have been found
in men whose PSA was “normal,” between 2.5 to 4 ng/ml. As
a result, much research has focused on ways to improve the
accuracy of PSA testing. The cPSA test offers physicians and
patients a new weapon in the fight against prostate cancer.
History
of PCAW
The
PCEC was formed in 1988 to educate men and their families
about prostate cancer. Millions of men have participated in
PCAW since it began in 1989.
Screenings
during PCAW have yielded valuable research results, including
data reflecting the positive predictive value of conducting
the physical exam and the PSA tests together rather than
alone. Future
studies will involve monitoring the yearly changes in
individuals’ PSA levels to determine which changes are part
of the normal aging process and which may signify a problem.
The
number of early stage prostate cancer cases that are detected
has risen since the first PCAW screenings in 1989. Currently,
between 60 and 80 percent of all cases are discovered while
the cancer is still localized and at its most curable stage.
Bayer
Diagnostics, the manufacturer of the cPSA test, is a sponsor
of PCAW.
For
more information, call 1-866-4-PROST-8 or visit www.PCAW.com.
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