Prostate Specific Antigen Test Reduces Prostate Cancer Mortality. Here’s Why

February 8, 2024

299,010 American men will face the challenge of a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, as reported by the American Cancer Society.1 As the second most deadly cancer affecting men, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), these could be alarming numbers.2 However, there’s hope.

3.3 million men in the United States with a prostate cancer diagnosis are alive today. What’s their superpower?1

They relied on early detection tools like a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and stopped the cancer’s progress on their track. Here’s how they did it.

3 Myths About the Prostate

1) Prostate Cancer is a Death Sentence

Remember this. Even if you’re a high-risk individual with a history of prostate cancer in your family – if detected on time – it is equally curable as for any other person, as the American College of Surgeons and the American Urological Association encourages.3

PSA tests are behind this good news. The test went mainstream in the early 90s. The test went mainstream in the early 90s. Since its broad implementation – thanks to its superpowers to detect prostate cancer – mortality has dropped 44%, according to the NIH.2

As stated by the National Cancer Institute, 45% to 70% of this – almost 50% – mortality reduction is attributed directly to PSA testing because timely detection has significantly reduced the frequency of metastatic disease, a stage where treatment is the least effective.4

2) If Your Prostate is Sick, You Would Feel It

Prostate cancer, as the American College of Surgeons and the American Urological Association explain, at its initial stages, when it is most treatable, may not have specific manifestations.3

Urinary symptoms like difficulty going to the bathroom – a common sign – can happen well after the beginning of prostate cancer, so it is not wise to sit back and wait for symptoms before taking a PSA test.

3) Sexual Activity Promotes Prostate Cancer

One widespread belief around prostate cancer is that sexual activity – in excess – increases its likelihood. However, research by the Oxford Journal of Sexual Medicine has found that frequent ejaculation might actually protect from the development of prostate cancer.5

Now that you don’t believe in prostate fairy tales, let’s understand its function.

Understanding the Prostate

What is the prostate? In a study by the Turkish Journal of Urology, 56% of people interviewed associated the prostate with disease.6 A common misunderstanding.

The prostate is an organ found within your pelvis that allows men to become dads. It is a sexual organ. But as time passes and reproductive years wane, it can cause health complications, as stated by the American College of Surgeons and the American Urological Association.3

How Things Go Wrong with Your Prostate

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the prostate gland. PSA release increases when the prostate is having trouble, as the Prostate Cancer Foundation clarifies. These increases are easily detected through a blood test.7

Higher PSA levels are correlated with an elevated probability of the presence of prostate cancer cells. They can also indicate infection or benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate).

You might be thinking, “I feel fantastic. I’m sure my prostate is fine.”

Please pay attention because your prostate might be at risk.

3 Reasons Why You Should Take a PSA Test

1) Prostate Cancer is More Than Genetics

58% of prostate cancer can be attributed to genetic causes. Black men are more likely to be diagnosed (one in six black men versus one in eight non-black men).8 If a close relative has prostate cancer, you are twice as likely to develop the disease as the Prostate Cancer Foundation explains.7

Nevertheless, 42% of cases are not genetic, so why take any chances when a PSA test exists?

2) Prostate Cancer is Not an Old Man’s Disease

60% of prostate cancer is detected in men over 65 years old, as the Prostate Cancer Foundation explains.9 However, 40% is not; the incidence of people between 35 and 55 diagnosed with prostate cancer has increased from 2.3% in the 80s to 9% in the 2000s, as the American Cancer Society reports.10

3) Your Lifestyle Affects Prostate Health

Multiple aspects of a “normal” life can contribute to developing prostate cancer.

Your weight: According to research published by the World Journal of Urology, a higher body mass index (BMI) before diagnosis was associated with about 10% more risk of dying of prostate cancer.11

Your diet: The highest incidence of prostate cancer occurs mainly in the US, Canada, Australia, and countries in the European Union. Why? As reported by Nutrients Journal, a potential culprit behind this alarming trend is believed to be the Western diet. A PSA test is a good idea if you indulge in processed foods, avoid fruits and vegetables, and enjoy high-fat delicacies (like pizza).12

Your habits: Alcohol, according to Biomolecular Journal, is the fourth leading cause of any cancer in men. Studies reveal a strong link between developing prostate cancer and excessive drinking, which may accelerate tumor growth and progression to the metastatic stage.13

Okay, you decided to take a PSA test. Good for you! What should you do with the results?

Interpreting PSA Results

In the past, elevated PSA levels were almost immediately followed up with a prostate biopsy. Aggressive prostate cancer treatment was pursued if cancer was detected, no matter the risk to the person. This doesn’t happen anymore.

Why? Because every man’s risk is as unique as his taste in movies.

According to a recent study by the Central European Journal of Urology, risk profiles explicitly created for each man, including their age, race, family history, PSA levels, and other factors, reduce the risk of unnecessary biopsies, give physicians more substantial insights to personalize clinical recommendations, and help medical facilities to prioritize resources and assign them to the high-volume opportunities.14

Here is how you can build a risk profile.

Welcome To Personalized Medicine

Kyla, the leader in personalized anti-aging programs, relies on a proprietary risk engine – AI technology that calculates individual health risks – to multiply the diagnostic effectiveness of tests like PSA. How? By combining it with your unique attributes.

Our risk engine understands every aspect of your lifestyle, genetic makeup, and environment to design personalized interventions that are more precise, effective, and with fewer side effects.

Let’s review what research says about the power of this approach for prostate health.

Artificial Intelligence Multiplies PSA’s Test Precision

As BMC Medical describes, artificial intelligence models – such as Kyla’s – that utilize the clinical features of a person, his test results, and lifestyle components that influence the development of prostate cancer are highly effective at diagnosing it.

Three separate interventions in different clinics showed remarkable results, with an average percentage of unnecessary biopsies prevented of 25.37% and a percentage of clinically significant prostate cancer cases missed of 4.5%.15

These are impressive numbers because, according to Stanford University, less than one-third of men with elevated PSA actually had prostate cancer. In contrast, 15% of men with normal PSA levels developed prostate cancer.16

Detecting Prostate Imbalances When They Are Treatable

Why are AI models – like Kyla’s risk engine – so effective in detecting prostate cancer? Great question.

Our technology incorporates a man’s specific characteristics such as age, PSA results, testosterone levels, prostate dimension, inflammation levels, BMI, family history, blood pressure levels, lipid profiles, liver and renal function, and fasting glucose.

Together, these factors and tests – the best predictors of prostate cancer risk, as BMC Medical clarifies – offer a panoramic view of a person’s health, detecting minimal imbalances when they’re reversible.15

Personalized Prostate Care at Scale

With Kyla, every new advance in medical science that identifies environmental, lifestyle, or genetic predispositions to develop prostate cancer is incorporated into our risk engine.

Therefore, as time passes, our AI has more predictive power because the inputs are more robust and offer a level of accuracy that could never be reached with a single test.

As the American Cancer Society comments, tools like Kyla, due to their convenience and practicality, open the door for many men who otherwise might never be screened for prostate cancer.17

Kyla: Prostate Health at Your Fingertips

Prostate cancer – the second most deadly cancer affecting men – is curable when detected on time.

With Kyla’s risk engine, you don’t need superpowers to remain healthy.

If you want to turbocharge the effectiveness of an early detection tool like a PSA test– by tailoring it to your unique life – order a Male Primary Care Panel today.

References

  1. American Cancer Society. Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer: Prostate Cancer Fact. [cited 2024 Jan 22]. Available from: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
  2. David MK, Leslie SW. Prostate Specific Antigen. [Updated 2022 Nov 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557495/
  3. College of Surgeons and the American Urological Association. Higher Prostate Cancer Rates Topic of Expert Panel. Newswise; 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 22]. Available from: https://www.newswise.com/articles/higher-prostate-cancer-rates-topic-of-expert-panel
  4. Etzioni R, Tsodikov A, Mariotto A, Szabo A, Falcon S, Wegelin J, Ditommaso D, Karnofski K, Gulati R, Penson DF, Feuer E. Quantifying the role of PSA screening in the US prostate cancer mortality decline. Cancer Causes & Control. 2008 Mar;19:175-81.
  5. Jian Z, Ye D, Chen Y, Li H, Wang K. Sexual activity and risk of prostate cancer: a dose–response meta-analysis. The journal of sexual medicine. 2018 Sep;15(9):1300-9.
  6. Kulaksızoğlu H, Akand M, Kılıç Ö, Gül M, Kucur M, Göktaş S. Prostate myths: What is the prostate awareness in the general male population in Turkey?. Turkish journal of urology. 2014 Sep;40(3):150.
  7. Prostate Cancer Foundation. The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test. 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 22]. Available from: https://www.pcf.org/about-prostate-cancer/what-is-prostate-cancer/the-psa-test/
  8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Who Is at Risk for Prostate Cancer? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 22]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/prostate/basic_info/risk_factors.htm
  9. Prostate Cancer Foundation. Prostate Cancer Risk Factors [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 22]. Available from: https://www.pcf.org/patient-resources/family-cancer-risk/prostate-cancer-risk-factors/
  10. Bleyer A, Spreafico F, Barr R. Prostate cancer in young men: An emerging young adult and older adolescent challenge. Cancer. 2020 Jan 1;126(1):46-57.
  11. Peisch SF, Van Blarigan EL, Chan JM, Stampfer MJ, Kenfield SA. Prostate cancer progression and mortality: a review of diet and lifestyle factors. World journal of urology. 2017 Jun;35:867-74.
  12. Oczkowski M, Dziendzikowska K, Pasternak-Winiarska A, Włodarek D, Gromadzka-Ostrowska J. Dietary factors and prostate cancer development, progression, and reduction. Nutrients. 2021 Feb 3;13(2):496.
  13. Macke AJ, Petrosyan A. Alcohol and prostate cancer: Time to draw conclusions. Biomolecules. 2022 Feb 28;12(3):375.
  14. Porzycki P, Ciszkowicz E. Modern biomarkers in prostate cancer diagnosis. Central European journal of urology. 2020;73(3):300.
  15. Zhang H, Ji J, Liu Z, Lu H, Qian C, Wei C, Chen S, Lu W, Wang C, Xu H, Xu Y. Artificial intelligence for the diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer based on multimodal data: a multicenter study. BMC medicine. 2023 Jul 24;21(1):270.
  16. Stanford University. Personalized PSA levels could improve prostate cancer screening. 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 22]. Available from: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2023/05/prostate-cancer-personalized-psa.html
  17. American Cancer Society. Prostate Cancer Screening Tests. [cited 2024 Jan 22]. Available from: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/tests.html
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