For a number of reasons, it is common for a guy Biden's age to forego prostate cancer screening.
The argument over who should have yearly exams for the disease has been reignited by former President Joe Biden's recently discovered severe prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. 35,000 men die from prostate cancer each year, making it the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in males.
After Biden's sickness was announced on Sunday, there was unfounded online conjecture that the former president may have known he had cancer for a long time—possibly due to tests or symptoms. It is unclear from his medical records as president if he had blood tests that checked for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which can be a sign of prostate cancer when it is raised.
However, experts on prostate cancer who did not work on his diagnosis or treatment told The Washington Post that it would not be unusual for a guy Biden's age to forego that type of screening.
According to Michael Morris, chief of the prostate cancer department at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, "there is an age at which we say, no more screening for most cancers." "The aggressive type of prostate cancer that we have been reading about [in the Biden stories] is not the majority of those that are diagnosed. A man's longevity is not threatened by the majority of prostate malignancies.
Men 70 years of age and older should not be screened, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which provides medical advice for preventive services like screenings. It states that men between the ages of 55 and 69 should make their own decisions.
"Many men will encounter potential hazards of screening, including false-positive results that require more testing and possibly a prostate biopsy; overdiagnosis and overtreatment; and treatment consequences, including as incontinence and erectile dysfunction," according to the guidelines.
For males of any age, routine testing for prostate cancer is not advised by the American Cancer Society. Men who have more than one first-degree relative with prostate cancer at an early age should talk to their provider about screening at age 40; those who are at high risk, such as African American men with an early-diagnosed first-degree relative, should do so at age 45; and those who are at average risk should do so at age 50.
But according to the American Cancer Society's guidelines, "men without symptoms … should not be provided prostate cancer screening because they are not expected to benefit from it because prostate cancer often progresses slowly."
The strictest restrictions are those set forth by the American Urological Association. It suggests that screening be made available to high-risk males starting at age 40 and that doctors check patients between the ages of 50 and 69 on a regular basis every two to four years. Recommendations for men aged 70 and above are not mentioned in the guidelines.
The Prostate Cancer Foundation's chief medical officer, Phillip Koo, stated that the risk-benefit analysis for screening has evolved in the last several years. The foundation suggests doing more screenings.
According to Koo, there are now many more treatment choices available, and laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery—which only requires tiny incisions made by robots—is currently the primary method of treating early prostate cancer, which entails removing the tumor. It can be an outpatient surgery for a lot of folks.
"With early detection and treatment, patients may have the greatest impact on their lives and be their own biggest champions," Koo stated.
According to Biden's office, medical professionals found a nodule on the former president's prostate, and microscopic examination revealed malignant cells. On a 10-point scale, his cancer was classified as aggressive with a Gleason score of 9. The cancer has gone to the bone, according to additional research.
