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Why Health Testing Centers?
Purchase your lab tests online or call 1-877-511-LABS (5227) to speak to a nurse and discuss your health concerns.
At Health Testing Centers we have one goal: to provide you with the highest quality lab testing that is quick, easy and affordable. No doctor's visit is required, saving you time, money and hassle.
Health Testing Centers has been helping patients take control of their health for more than 30 years, offering thousands of comprehensive blood tests, lab tests and STD testing from 1400 locations nationwide.
Prostate cancer is a leading cause of death in American men, only second to lung cancer. Approximately 1 in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Black men are at even more risk, being 50% more likely to develop prostate cancer than men of other groups.
Prostate cancer occurs in a man’s prostate; a small walnut-shaped gland that produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm. The prostate is located in front of the rectum and below the bladder, surrounding the upper part of the urethra, that caries semen and urine from the bladder.
The prostate is the leading site for cancer incidence in men, accounting for 29% of new cancer cases. This year 180,400 new cases of prostate cancer are expected to be diagnosed. About 16% of men (1 in 6) will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of death in men.
In the “PSA era”, prostate cancer deaths declined from a peak of 34,902 in 1994 to 32,891 in 1997. These rates are continuing to decline, and it is estimated that there will be 31,900 deaths this year. The 5-year survival rate in men with prostate cancer has increased from 67% in 1974-76 to 73% in 1980-82 to 92% in 1989-95.
Black men are at least 50% more likely to develop prostate cancer than men of other racial and ethnic groups.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein that is produced by the cells located in the prostate gland. PSA is found in the bloodstream and the PSA blood test measures it. The PSA test has been approved by the FDA to help detect prostate cancer in men. The FDA recommends a digital rectal exam in conjunction with the PSA starting at the age of 50 years old.
PSA testing can also be used to monitor a patient and determine the success or failure of treatment. Cancer is suspected when the PSA levels are found in high quantities in the blood. There are however other possible scenarios that can lead to higher levels of PSA though.