Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center

Urology and Continence Center

Prostate Health

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among American men, after skin cancer. This year, an estimated 32,000 men will die from the disease in the United States alone, and 200,000 new cases will be diagnosed. While age, race, nationality and family history have been linked to increased incidence, all men are at risk.

Screening for Prostate Cancer

Current recommendations from the American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology and the American Urological Association advise annual screening starting at age 50, or age 40 for African Americans and men with a family history of prostate cancer.

Screening for the detection of prostate cancer includes a digital rectal examination by a physician and the measurement of PSA, or prostate-specific antigen. A protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland, PSA is measured by a simple blood test.

Men normally have low levels of PSA in their blood, but prostate cancer or benign prostate conditions, such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), can increase PSA levels. An elevated PSA level does not provide enough information to distinguish cancer from benign prostate conditions, but your doctor will take the result of your PSA into account when deciding to check further for signs of prostate cancer.

Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center offers the full range of treatment options for prostate cancer, including radiation therapy, laparoscopic prostatectomy and robotic-assisted prostatectomy.

For more information about prostate health, call the Memorial Hermann Urology and Continence Center at 713-704-2494.