American Cancer Society Updates Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines for Men 50 to 69

The American Cancer Society said Thursday it is changing its prostate cancer screening guidelines, recommending that men at average risk aged 50 to 69 get a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test every two years. Men at higher risk, including Black men and those with a strong family history of the disease, should be tested every year starting at age 45, the society advised. Since 2010, the society had advised average-risk men only to talk with their doctors about whether and how often to be tested. NBC News reported that men over 70 may get tested more often after consulting their doctors. PSA is a protein made by normal and cancerous prostate cells, so a high level can signal a tumor but can also stem from a benign enlarged prostate or vigorous exercise. Past widespread PSA testing was blamed for overtreatment of slow-growing tumors and unneeded follow-up tests. The society said the update follows advances in understanding how regular testing can catch cancer before it spreads and how to reduce screening harms.

The right-leaning Daily Mail leads with the guidelines being "upgraded" amid what it calls a surge in cases, and it adds prevalence figures: 333,000 men diagnosed and about 36,000 killed each year, with most diagnoses in men over 65. It also says some studies put PSA accuracy at 70 to 80 percent while others find it far less reliable. Left-leaning NBC News and CBS News frame it as a change in guidance. NBC is a brief broadcast item; CBS explains the PSA test, its limits and the history of overtreatment, and cites the society's reasons for the change. Both sides agree on the ages, two-year interval and annual testing for higher-risk men. The Daily Mail stresses rising cases and test reliability, and does not mention the over-70 point. NewsNation's coverage largely matches CBS's opening wording.