Prostate Cancer Education Council Adds A New Test For Screening Prostate Cancer During Prostate Cancer Awareness Week prostate which are increasingly common as men get older. PSA testing can also generate false negatives because a significant number of cases of prostate cancer have been found in men whose PSA was “normal,” between 2.5 to 4 ng/ml. (NAPSA)—Forthe first time during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW), men will receive an additional form of the standard PSA blood test called complexed prostate specific antigen (cPSA). Research found that the use of the cPSA test results in fewer false positive diagnoses of prostate cancer than commercially available total PSA (tPSA) and reduces the number of biopsies necessary to detect the disease by 44,000 each year in the United States. The Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC) added cPSA based on the growing weight of scientific evidencefor this test. Prostate cancer is currently the most prevalent form of cancer in men and the second leading cause of male cancer death in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that 189,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year in the U.S., with 30,000 deaths attributable to this disease. To test for prostate cancer, doctors use a simple physical test combined with a blood test which measures a protein released by the prostate called prostate specific antigen or PSA. The cPSAtest that the PCEC is now offering measures a specific form of the PSA protein called complexed PSA, or cPSA, that increases when a man has prostate cancer. “We are very excited about evaluating this form of PSA during PCAW,”said E. David Crawford, M.D., chairman of the PCEC, which sponsors PCAW. “More than two-thirds (67 percent) of men taking part in PCAW last year said they did so for peace of As a result, much research has focused on ways to improve the accuracy of PSA testing. The cPSA test offers physicians and patients a new weaponin the fight against prostate cancer. at & mind, to be certain they didn’t have prostate cancer. We want them to know that the PCEC is proactive and follows advances in testing methods.” Screening Guidelines Prostate cancer can usually be cured when detected early. The PCEC Screening Guidelines recommend an annual prostate screening for men over 45 and for men over 35 whoareat highrisk. What Is PSA? PSA is a protein produced by cells in the prostate. PSA has proven to be an extremely useful marker for early detection of prostate cancer and in monitoring patients for disease progression and theeffects of treatment. PSA levels of 4.0 ng/ml or less are usually considered normal; higher levels (4 to 10 ng/ml or higher) are often found in men with prostate cancer. However, current PSA testing generates false positives because PSA levels can also increase due to noncancerous conditions of the History of PCAW The PCEC was formed in 1988 to educate men and their families about prostate cancer. Millions of men have participated in PCAW since it began in 1989. Screenings during PCAW have yielded valuable research results, including data reflecting the positive predictive value of conducting the physical exam and the PSA tests together rather than alone. Future studies will involve monitoring the yearly changes in individuals’ PSA levels to determine which changes are part of the normal aging process and which may signify a problem. The number of early stage prostate cancer cases that are detected has risen since thefirst PCAW screenings in 1989. Currently, between 60 and 80 percent of all cases are discovered while the canceris still localized and at its most curable stage. Bayer Diagnostics, the manufacturer of the cPSA test, is a sponsor of PCAW. For more information, call 1-866-4-PROST-8 or visit the Web site at www.PCAW.com.
