When dealing with health problems it’s important to know how severe the disease is. Knowing this drives a series of treatment decisions, which may improve the symptoms, and in many cases even cure the disease. When the condition’s level of aggressiveness is unknown, a traditionally beneficial treatment may instead cause harm.

The aggressiveness of prostate cancer is hard to determine. Traditionally, physicians have used the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, a physical exam, and other methods to estimate the level of prostate cancer to help guide treatment decisions. These are helpful, but they cannot fully determine whether a man has low-risk prostate cancer, which can be managed with active surveillance, or whether he has aggressive prostate cancer, that should be treated immediately.

African American men on average wait a week longer than their Caucasian counterparts between the initial diagnosis of prostate cancer and treatment, according to University of North Carolina researchers.

The study was published online March 28 in Cancer, the journal of the American Cancer Society, by a team led by Ronald Chen, MD, MPH, assistant professor with the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. The study is the first published population-based examination of racial disparities in prostate cancer treatment delay.

Men who have trouble falling and staying asleep may face a higher prostate cancer risk, a new study suggests.

Research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention shows that these sleep problems are linked with as much as a doubled risk of prostate cancer for men.

By Dr. Robin Wulfson

In recent years much controversy has arisen for the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test that screens for prostate cancer. Last August, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reported that they had finalized their decision that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) cancer screening test did more harm than good. The announcement sparked a prompt rebuttal from the American Urological Association (AUA). Many healthcare professionals, me included, feel that older men should have the test and if it comes back abnormal to fully consider the options with a physician knowledgeable about prostate disease. One such expert is Jay Cohen, M.D. I consulted with Dr. Cohen on the topic and he provided me with a wealth of information.

Dr. Cohen notes that in the last few years there has been a quantum leap in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. The problem is, many patients are unaware of these advances—and so too are their doctors.