Advanced Prostate Cancer Cases Rising as Fewer Men Are Screened, New Report Says
THURSDAY, Sept. 4, 2025 — Prostate cancer rates are climbing in the U.S. with more men being diagnosed at later stages when the disease is harder to treat, researchers report.
The analysis — published Tuesday in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians — suggests that fewer men are being screened for the disease.
“The pendulum may have swung too far in one direction, where we were afraid of overtreatment,” study co-author Dr. Bill Dahut, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, told The New York Times.
"Now we’re not finding these cancers early on, when they can be treated and are more curable, and we’re more likely to find metastatic disease that is not curable," he added.
In 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stopped recommending routine PSA blood tests for prostate cancer, because it was concerned about overtreatment and side effects like incontinence and impotence, The Times said.
After that, prostate cancer diagnoses dropped by 6.4% per year from 2007 to 2014. But starting in 2014, new cases began rising 3% a year.
Diagnoses of advanced-stage disease also climbed 4.6% to 4.8% per year from 2017 to 2021, while localized disease dropped.
In 2018, the task force updated its guidelines, advising that 55- to 69-year-old men should make screening decisions individually. The guidelines recommend against testing after age 70.
Some doctors now question that approach, as men are living longer and may still benefit from treatment later in life.
“Have we abandoned a good strategy, the P.S.A. strategy, and thrown the baby out with the bath water? That is my concern,” Dr. William Oh, director of precision medicine at Yale Cancer Center, told The Times.
The report also highlights significant racial disparities. Black men develop prostate cancer 67% more often than white men and die at twice the rate. Native Americans also die at higher rates despite a lower incidence of the disease.
Access to care plays a major role. In a study of patients treated at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where care is equal, Black men did not have more aggressive cancers and had slightly higher survival rates compared to white men, The Times reported.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) points out that:
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Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in U.S. men.
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It is the second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death among men.
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About 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Experts say more research is needed to understand why rates of advanced-stage prostate cancer are climbing, although improved imaging and possible environmental factors may play a role.
The ACS recommends men discuss screening with their doctors starting at age 50. Black men and those with a family history of prostate cancer should start the conversation at age 45, and some experts suggest even earlier testing for those who may have a higher risk.
Sources
- The New York Times, Sept. 2, 2025
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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