When a man thinks about prostate cancer, one of the first things he generally wonders about is how to prevent it.
According to a recent publication of the American Urological Association (AUA):
“It is important to note that the guideline statements listed in this document target men at average risk, defined as a man without risk factors, such as a family history of prostate cancer in multiple generations and/or family history of early onset below age 55 years, or African American race.”
I have been highly critical of prostate cancer research, clinical trials and studies that do not include a representative number of African American and other men at high risk for the disease. This deficiency has now created situations where guidelines that will be used by the medical community have made no provisions for the men most affected by prostate cancer – an almost inconceivable set of circumstances. Even worse, these AUA guidelines will be extrapolated by the medical community as applicable for all men unless this issue is addressed with a sense of urgency.
The number one fact men need to know about prostate cancer (and most other diseases as well) can actually be summed up in two words: Early Detection. It’s important to detect the disease early, get tested early, find out early and do something about it early.
I applaud the AUA panel for its honesty in directly acknowledging the lack of data and information necessary to include high risk men within its guidelines. This is in stark contrast to the U. S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) which similarly acknowledged a lack of data but still proceeded to include all high risk men within its recommendation against prostate cancer screening. The USPSTF simply opted to use a double standard.