Most cancers have a better chance of cure if found and treated during an early stage, before the cancer has had a chance to spread to other parts of the body. Many prostate cancer patients who have been treated with surgery or radiation therapy never again have problems with their cancer. On the other hand, some men with prostate cancer will not die of the disease even if it remains untreated. Thus, it is not possible to say whether early detection of prostate cancer will lower an individual patients' chance of eventually dying from that cancer. Although early detection makes sense, there are certain types of cancers, such as lung cancer, for which screening programs have not been found to reduce death rates.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in men.
Although many men with advanced prostate cancer die from this disease, others with small amounts of prostate cancer die from other causes, for example, heart disease. Clearly, not all men with prostate cancer need treatment. At this time, unfortunately, doctors cannot be certain which cancers need treatment and which do not. Until these issues are settled, the true value of PSA testing cannot be determined. Before deciding whether to have a PSA test, you need to decide whether you would be willing to undergo treatment for prostate cancer.