The cases were in Olmstead County in Minnesota, where the clinic is located. The same study found that the average age of diagnosis was 66 in men when the PSA test was used, compared with 71 before the test was available. PSA is a protein that can be measured in the blood, and an increase may indicate a prostate abnormality. An abnormal PSA test is defined as showing a value above 4.
Prostate cancer is the number one cancer among men and second in cancer deaths by site.
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be nearly 180,000 new prostate cancer cases diagnosed in 1998 and 37,000 deaths. Since the PSA test was adopted in Olmstead County in 1987, earlier than the rest of the United States, the researchers speculate that the findings may predict future trends for the nation as a whole. According to recommendations endorsed by the American Urological Association, all men should be offered a PSA test and digital rectal exam annually beginning at age 50 if there is at least a 10-year life expectancy. It also should be made available to younger men if they are at high risk for developing prostate cancer, such as African-Americans or those with a family history of the disease. Us Copyright 1998, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.