This month Australian men are looking to give prostate cancer the finger, and not in the way you might think.
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Medicine and technology has come a long way in recent years, and just a few years after the PSA test meant that the doctors finger was no longer always necessary, a new test means that even the PSA test may not be necessary, for some men.
Tamworth Prostate Cancer support group president Brian Burgess is knocking down the stigma surrounding a disease that one in seven Australian men will be diagnosed with.
The good news is that survival rates are high, especially if the symptoms are caught early which is the message that Mr Burgess wants to spread across the region.
"The fatality rates are 1 in 1000 these days, but that is only because men have become more aware of prostate cancer and the symptoms in the last decade," he said.
"It is still very difficult to get farmers, or some tradies, to get a PSA test done. That is the message - just get checked."
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In recent times the PSA blood test has become the first line of defence.
A PSA test can detect prostate cancer before symptoms develop, however can also lead to over-diagnosis where men test positive to the PSA test and undergo invasive treatments for tumours that may never eventuate to cancer.
A new "Australian first" online tool can help inform men about the benefits and potential harms of having a PSA test.
University of Sydney Emeritus Professor, Bruce Armstrong AM, said while PSA testing "probably" saved lives, the side effects of curative treatment could be quite severe.
"Making a well-informed decision about PSA testing is very important," he said.
"This online tool is a critical awareness device designed to raise community understanding and improve outcomes for all Australian men - it has the potential to protect men against long-term consequences of treatment, such as loss of sexual function or urinary incontinence."
"The first step is seeing your GP, and just having a conversation about your risks, and about your general health," Mr Burgess said.
