What is Prostate Screen Australia?
Prostate Screen Australia is Australia’s first dedicated prostate cancer testing group. Our clinics provide men between 40 and 70 years with easily accessbile and streamlined prostate cancer testing in specialist healthcare environment. You do not require a referral to be seen by our specialist doctors and appointments only take 20 minutes. Prostate Screen Australia uses specialist guidelines for testing, follow up and referral and offers men individualised reporting of prostate cancer risk.
How do we test for Prostate Cancer?
PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) testing via a blood test in combination with a DRE (Digital Rectal Examination) currently offers the best indication for the presence of prostate cancer and are currently the only tests recommended for prostate cancer screening and early detection.
At PSQ, each man is individually assessed; with testing and follow-up customised to take into account their age, family history, co-morbidities, physical examination, prostate specific antigen (PSA), PSA velocity, PSA isoforms and MRI findings (where appropriate).
Who should be tested for Prostate Cancer?
Early detection of prostate cancer is the key to improving survival and Prostate Screen Australia recommends the following:
- All men from the age of 50 should have access to a yearly PSA and DRE
- All men who have a family history of prostate cancer should have access to a yearly PSA and DRE from the age of 40
- Health conscious men from the age of 40 should have access to a baseline PSA to quantify their lifetime risk of prostate cancer and guide the frequency of subsequent testing.
Prostate cancer testing with a PSA blood test and DRE is only undertaken after informed consent from highly trained medical practitioners regarding:
- The controversy regarding prostate cancer screening and early detection
- The pros and cons of early detection
- The consequences of an abnormal screening result
- The potential outcomes and treatments should prostate cancer be diagnosed
Once prostate cancer testing has been performed, the medical practitioner will then provide an estimate on the patient’s risk of having prostate cancer based on the patients PSA, DRE, age and family history.
Research and Data Collection
Prostate Screen Australia is the first group of its kind in Australia, this provides a unique research opportunity regarding prostate cancer screening and early detection. Prostate Screen Australia is committed to research and all data regarding PSA values, DRE findings and outcomes will be recorded and analysed for research purposes. The privacy of patient’s information is of utmost importance and no information will be accessed without prior consent.
