Know if you’re at risk of developing prostate cancer.

More time for what's important: Some older men can cross "prostate cancer test" off their to-do lists.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Most men over the age of 75 probably don’t need to continue getting screened for prostate cancer if they have a lower reading on a routine blood screening test, according to a study that will appear The Journal of Urology next month.

THE DETAILS: Researchers studied 849 men (122 with, and 727 without prostate cancer) and found that none of the men between 75 and 80 years old with a prostate specific antigen (PSA) score lower than 3 developed an aggressive form of prostate cancer. “It is thought that with PSA testing, it takes between 13 to 17 years for a less aggressive cancer to become problematic,” explains study author Edward Schaeffer, MD, PhD, assistant professor of urology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Two-thirds of men older than 75 years old have PSA values below 3, so that cuts out seemingly unnecessary testing, and perhaps unneeded treatment, for many seniors. Researchers concluded these men were unlikely to experience aggressive prostate cancer, or die from the cancer, during their remaining lives.

WHAT IT MEANS: Widespread testing for this type of cancer has been credited with a 30 percent decrease in prostate cancer deaths. But some researchers believe testing could prompt treatment in 30 percent of people whose prostate cancer would remain asymptomatic throughout their lives. “The question of who needs treatment depends not only on the type of cancer—low, intermediate, or high grade—but also on the volume of cancer in the prostate and the age of the patient,” explains Schaeffer. “There is probably no cancer in a 40- or 50-year-old man that is safe to just watch. Conversely, in men who are older with low-grade, low-volume cancer and other medical problems, they may not need any treatment for their cancer in their lifetime.”

Know when to get tested, and how to cut your risk of prostate cancer in the first place: