Prostate Cancer

*Please Note - The Get Screened Campaign focuses on Cervical, Colon and Breast Cancer Screening, because Nova Scotia has implemented provincial screening programs for these cancers. Screening reminders are sent out based on Canadian Cancer Society recommendations only for cancers for which provincial screening programs are in place.

Prostate cancer starts in the cells of the prostate gland. It is the most common cancer in Canadian men and is diagnosed most often in men over age 65. Men with a family history of prostate cancer or men who are of African ancestry are at higher risk or develop the disease at a younger age.

What you can do

If you are 50 or older, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of testing for prostate cancer.

If you are at a higher risk for prostate cancer because of your family history of African ancestry, discuss the possibility of starting testing at a younger age.

These tests may be used for the early detection of prostate cancer:

• Digital rectal exam (DRE): a physical exam of the prostate gland through the rectum. The doctor inserts a gloved finger into the rectum to feel the prostate for lumps or anything else that seems unusual.
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test: a blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen, a substance made by the prostate.

The PSA and DRE test can help detect prostate cancer early, but they can also cause “false alarms” or miss prostate cancer that is present. In some cases, these tests can detect prostate cancer that may not pose a serious threat to your health. It is important to talk to your doctor about your personal risk of developing prostate cancer, and about the benefits and risks of testing.

Know Your Risk

There is no single cause of prostate cancer, but some factors appear to increase the risk of developing it. The risk of prostate cancer increases as men grow older. Having these risk factors doesn’t mean that you will develop prostate cancer. It means that your chances of developing it are higher.

You may be at higher risk if you:

• are older than 65 
• have a family history of prostate cancer
• are of African ancestry

Eating a diet high in fat and working with a metal called cadmium are being studied as possible risk factors. Eating a diet high in calcium is also being studied as a possible risk factor. Calcium has many health benefits, and research so far tells us that the levels of calcium have to be very high – much higher than in the average man’s diet – for it to be a concern.

It is possible to develop prostate cancer without having any of these risk factors.

It’s also important to know that no screening test for cancer is 100% accurate. For example, a screening test can sometimes show cancer when there isn’t, or not show cancer where there is. But overall, screening tests save lives.

For general cancer screening information call the toll-free Cancer Information Service 1-888-939-3333