PLANTATION, Fla. – Every year, over 200,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"That's one out of ever six men," said Dr. Bruce Kava, a urologist with the University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine.
In 2011, Derek Bonner, a young father of four, became part of those statistics.
Bonner was diagnosed after a physical exam that include a PSA test.
"I didn't know what a PSA was, I really didn't," he said.
The test measures levels of prostate-specific antigen, a protein produced by cells of the prostate glalnd.
High levels of PSA in the blood can be indicators of benign prostate conditions or prostate cancer.
"It's the most powerful screening test in all of oncology, all of medicine now," said Kava. "A simple blood test that can detect prostate cancer 7 to 10 years before it would become a problem for somebody."
Kava and other urologists are concerned about the recnet US Preventative Task Force recommendations that argue against the use of routine PSA testing for prostate cancer.
"The panel concluded there was no reduction in mortality from the use of PSA screening but the problem is, they're drawing that conclusion from flawed studies," said Kava.
The task force also concluded that PSA testing can lead to unnecessary and costly surgical procedures.
"The PSA is not perfect. It does result in some over detection of prostate cancer. It may results in some over treatment but we have alternatives now that we're looking into such as active surveillance," Kava said. "We can, with this test, catch potential propblems early enough that all we have to do is keep an eye on it, without resorting to expensive procedures or risky surgeries."
On behalf of the Florida Urologic Society, Kava argued that the fedearl task force's focus should be on supporting the use of the PSA test, along with new diagnostic tools, to help doctors better guide their patients.
"This is an individuallized decisions that should be made between a doctor and a patient," he said.
Bonner's cancer was an aggressive form that he believes would have shortened his life if it hadn't been detected through a PSA test.
"We were able to catch it at a very early stage and it was contained in the prostate and that was a blessing," he said.