Doctors encourage prostate cancer blood test for younger men

The American Cancer Society is recommending more regular blood test screenings for prostate cancer among younger men as diagnoses of the disease rise nationwide.Men between the ages of 50 and 69 should get tested for prostate cancer every other year, but those at higher risk, including black men and those with family histories of the disease, should be tested annually, according to new guidance from the ACS.Previous guidance only recommended that men between the ages of 40 and 50 talk with their doctors about prostate-specific antigen testing, a specialized blood test that can detect signs of prostate cancer early. PSA testing, although approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1986, has long been controversial in the medical community because it can trigger unnecessary treatment. Historically, there has also been little evidence that it actually improved men’s survival chances.The new guidelines were influenced by a major randomized study of PSA testing in Europe, with more than 20 years of patient follow-ups, that found screening among middle-aged men lowered prostate cancer deaths.The authors of the updated ACS guidelines said in their published report that the new evidence gives them confidence to emphatically recommend men get PSA testing every other year starting at age 50.The organization recommends annual PSA screening starting at age 45 for black men, who are at higher risk of dying from the disease, as well as men whose fathers or brothers were diagnosed with prostate cancer under age 65.Men over age 70 should still discuss the risks and benefits of PSA screening with their healthcare provider based upon their overall health and life expectancy, according to ACS.Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men, behind lung cancer, but it was the most common form of cancer for men in the United States in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.In 2022, the most recent year for which government statistics are available, there were more than 255,000 new cases, and roughly 70% were diagnosed in early stages.Former President Joe Biden, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May 2025, praised the new guidance.“I know firsthand the toll of this disease, and I know that catching it early saves lives,” Biden posted on X. “So talk to your doctor, get screened, and let’s keep working to end cancer as we know it.” Today the American Cancer Society made important changes to their prostate cancer screening guidelines: Men 50 to 69 should get a PSA test every two years; Black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer should get one every year starting at 45; and starting at age 70,… https://t.co/ej7Ge46sjx— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 12, 2026 TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FAST-TRACKS IBOGAINE RESEARCH FOR PTSDBiden said during an interview for the release of his upcoming memoir Promise Me, America that he would not have run for reelection in 2024 had he known he was suffering from cancer.“If I had known that I was feeling lousy because I had cancer, I would’ve not gone forward,” Biden told the Associated Press, adding, “I don’t think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running.”