Men’s Screening Guidelines
Premier Health offers a wide variety of cancer screening procedures for men. Listed below are the more commonly recommended tests.
Prostate Cancer Screenings
Early detection and treatment can keep prostate disease from getting worse. That’s why we recommend all men age 55 to 69 talk to their doctor about whether a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is right for you.
African American men and men with a family history of the disease are at higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer and should discuss with their physician the benefits and risks of testing in order to make a shared, informed decision.
Testicular Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, testicular cancer is not common. About one of every 250 men will develop testicular cancer at some point during their lifetime. Testicular cancer treatment is typically quite successful.
Most of the time a lump on the testicle is the first symptom, or the testicle may be swollen or larger than normal. Most doctors include a testicular cancer screening as part of a routine checkup. Some doctors recommend monthly self-exams after puberty. Currently there is no proof that self-exams reduce the death rate for this cancer, so Premier Health does not have a recommendation for regular testicular cancer exams.
If you have questions about testicular cancer exams, talk to your health care provider.
Breast Cancer In Men
Men need to know that
breast cancer is not limited to only women. Although breast cancer is about 100 times less common among men than among women, there is still a lifetime risk of getting breast cancer of one
in 1,000. The number of breast cancer cases in men relative to the population has been fairly stable over the last 30 years.
Possible signs of male breast cancer to watch for include:
- A lump or swelling, which is usually (but not always) painless
- Skin dimpling or puckering
- Nipple retraction (turning inward)
- Redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin
- Discharge from the nipple
Sometimes a breast cancer can spread to lymph nodes under the arm or around the collar bone and cause a lump or swelling there, even before the original tumor in the breast tissue is large enough to be felt.
These changes aren't always caused by cancer. For example, most breast lumps in men are caused by
gynecomastia (a harmless enlargement of breast tissue). Still, if you notice any breast changes, you should see your health care professional as soon as possible.
Talk to your doctor for more information about breast cancer screenings for men and to schedule a screening if you have a concern.
Contact Us
Call the Premier Health cancer hotline at (844) 316-HOPE(844) 316-4673 (4673), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to connect with a Premier Health cancer navigator.