The test, known as PSA screening, looks for elevated Prostate Specific Antigen levels that have been shown to correlate with the presence of prostate cancer.
Radical prostatectomy requires complete removal of the prostate gland.
Mayo Clinic researchers followed men who underwent radical prostatectomy for PSA-detected cancer from 1987 to 1996. Nearly 80 percent of the cancer tumors removed were found at an early, but significant, stage of development, suggesting that PSA screening may detect prostate cancer at an earlier stage than other screening methods such as rectal examination. According to Horst Zincke, M.D., Ph.D., and Michael Blute, M.D., Mayo Clinic urologists, the results of this study are an important piece of information for men to consider when discussing prostate cancer screening with their doctors. The American Urological Association and the American Cancer Society now recommend routine PSA screening and this study supports their recommendations.