A new study indicates that a popular blood test used to screen men over age 50 for prostate cancer may be just as valuable for younger men.

PSA" is a test for a protein called "prostate specific antigen." This protein is produced by the prostate gland and can be measured in the blood. Because PSA levels may be higher in men with prostate cancer, PSA testing has been recommended by physicians as a method of detecting early prostate cancers in men without symptoms of cancer.  

The study found that screening would be more effective if performed at age 40 and 45, then every two years beginning at age 50.

There's increasing ... data that says if men get early detection for prostate cancer, the death rate in that population goes down.

How is the test done?

A small amount of blood is collected through fingerstick and applied to a blood collection card which is sent to our laboratory. The blood sample is analyzed using Tandem PSA, recognized as the most accurate measure of total PSA. Confidential results are returned to each individual, and physician upon request. A counselor will contact each individual who's results are out of normal range to encourage participant to see his physician for further testing.

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Prostate cancer facts:

• 1 in 10 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, most after age 65.

•  This year alone, nearly 200,000 American men will learn they have prostate cancer. That's one new diagnosis every three minutes.

• This year, prostate cancer will kill more than 30,000 men, making it the second-leading cause of cancer death.

• Between 1973 and 1993, the rate of new prostate cancer cases rose by 173 percent, due in part to more widespread use of the PSA blood test, and in part because the population is aging.

• African-American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world, as well as the highest mortality rates from the disease.

• Asian men have the lowest incidence of prostate cancer.

• Prostate cancer risk begins to increase after age 50 for white men who have no family history of the disease, and after age 40 for blacks and those who have close relatives who were diagnosed with the cancer.

• The American Cancer Society and the American Urological Association recommend annual PSA screening tests and digital rectal exams for all men over age 50, and for all high-risk men beginning at age 40. Source: Two Against One