Prostate Cancer Screening

Well men have peace-of-mind

About Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. Worryingly, it can have very few symptoms, so getting checked out early is vital. It could save your life.

We are the first and only clinic in the UK using the complexed prostate specific antigen (cPSA) test to diagnose early prostate cancer – and have been doing so successfully since 2004.

Experience is showing that the cPSA test is much more accurate in identifying early prostate cancer than the old, total PSA test. This means many men avoid the need for further tests and painful or uncomfortable investigations which can be stressful.

What is PSA?

Prostate specific antigen is a collection (nexus) of proteins produced within the prostate gland at the base of the bladder. The prostate gland secretes semen which is stored in two seminal vesicles behind the bladder. Semen is prevented from clotting (like blood from a vessel) by the PSA. A minute amount of PSA is carried away by blood circulating through the prostate. The prostate gland tends to enlarge with age, which explains the naturally increasing PSA. As the enlarging gland occupies more space within the tightly packed pelvic bones, it is susceptible to any increase in pressure as caused by straining a stool, ejaculation, overfull bladder, riding a bicycle, a long walk etc. The total PSA will register these temporary rises caused by the squeezing of the gland. The complex PSA test specifically aims to identify that part of the PSA nexus associated with malignancy.

Who is at risk?

In the UK 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lives. Older men and men with a family history of prostate cancer are more at risk. Research shows that being overweight and obese may increase your chance of prostate cancer.

What’s included in our prostate health screen?

1. Half an hour consultation with one of our experienced male doctors
2. Full physical examination including height and weight measurement and urinalysis
3. cPSA blood test

We recommend that men over the age of 45 should have annual prostate screens. The PSA rises with age gradually: prostate cancer is suspected if this natural rise begins to accelerate year on year.

Further reading:

‘A lil self loving: Masturbation and the prostate’

‘Do big prostates cause bad erections?’