A Better Prostate Test Screening for prostate cancer may become less painful. Researchers have developed a prostate test that could reduce the number of biopsies.
Doctors routinely order biopsies when men have elevated blood levels of prostate-specific antigen.
But researchers at City of Hope Cancer Center in Darte, California say only about 30-percent of these men need biopsies. To cut back on unnecessary procedures, a new test was developed to screen for telomerase using prostatic secretions. Telomerase is an enzyme that helps cancer cells become immortal and was present in 90-percent of all prostate tumors. The new test was pain free, gave results in a half-hour, and was inexpensive. Chlamydia Screenings for Women Women ages 25 and younger who are sexually active should get screened for chlamydia every six months.