The American Cancer Society now recommends that Black men get a prostate-specific antigen blood test every year from age 45 to 69, in an updated screening guideline released November 12,

The guideline, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, also recommends a PSA test every two years for average-risk men ages 50 to 69.

The starting ages themselves are not new. The previous guideline, issued in 2010, said Black men and men with a father or brother diagnosed before 65 should begin talking with their doctor about screening at 45, and average-risk men at 50. What changed is the advice: instead of a conversation about whether to test, the organization now directly recommends the test, every year for Black men.

Why Black Men Are Singled Out

The same annual schedule from 45 applies to non-Black men with a strong family history, meaning a father, brother or son diagnosed before 65, or several close relatives diagnosed at any age.

Dr. William Dahut, the organization’s chief scientific officer and a contributing author, said, “Black men experience a 67% higher incidence and nearly double the mortality rate compared with White men, an inequity that needs immediate reversal.”

The organization estimates 333,830 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and 36,320 will die from it.

More Testing, Fewer Unnecessary Biopsies

The update also tries to limit harm. A PSA of 3.0 ng/mL or higher counts as elevated for men 45 to 69. Men with a high reading should be retested within two weeks to three months, then offered an MRI or a validated biomarker test before any biopsy. Men with low-risk cancer should be offered active surveillance first.

Dr. Robert Smith, the report’s senior author, said the PSA test “is just the first step in a screening process.”

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose recommendations shape what insurers must cover, still advises individualized decisions and has not yet issued its own update, STAT reports.

For Eddie Baynes, a 56-year-old survivor who began regular testing at a fraternity screening event at 52, the change is personal. “Part of my advocacy is getting tested more frequently,” he told STAT.

For now, the advice is simple: if you are a Black man 45 or older, ask for a PSA test at your next physical. It may be the easiest blood draw that ever saves a life.

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