American Cancer Society Updates Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines, Urging PSA Tests Every Two Years

The American Cancer Society (ACS) on Thursday issued updated prostate cancer screening guidelines recommending that most men ages 50 to 69 get a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test every two years. Black men and men with a strong family history of the disease should be screened annually starting at age 45, the society said. Men ages 70 to 74 should talk with their doctors about whether testing suits their health and life expectancy. The guidelines were published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians amid a rise in advanced prostate cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death among men after lung cancer. ACS chief scientific officer Dr. William L. Dahut said he hoped the change would increase screening among average-risk men and eventually reduce metastatic disease and deaths while limiting harm. Former President Joe Biden, 83, who has advanced prostate cancer, urged men on X to get screened and repeated the new schedule.

The right-leaning Daily Mail leads with the guidelines being "upgraded" amid a surge in cases. It supplies background on the disease, including 333,000 cases and about 36,000 deaths a year, and that most diagnoses come after age 65. It says the ACS previously did not recommend routine screening and notes that estimates of the PSA test's accuracy vary, from 70 to 80 percent to much lower. The left-leaning NBC News also leads with the rising rate of advanced cancer and the new schedule, but centers Dahut's quotes. It describes the change as the latest swing in screening standards and contrasts it with earlier advice that men 40 to 50 have shared decision-making with doctors. Both sides agree on the ages, intervals and higher-risk groups. The Daily Mail stresses test reliability, while NBC stresses the scientific rationale and the shift from threshold-based repeat testing. The Hill largely matches the basic facts, while Newsweek adds a distinct angle: Biden's post and his upcoming memoir.