Prostate Cancer and Obesity Don't Mix

     There is a standard screening test that is used to determine if a man has prostate cancer, but it may not be effective for men who are considered obese. To make matters more difficult it also seems that surgery for prostate cancer may not be effective for the obese man either.

     The test is a blood test that looks for high levels of an antigen called PSA. When the levels are found to be high it indicates an increased threat of cancer. Doctors believe that obese men have more blood volume so the PSA they are looking for in the test is diluted, so when the PSA finally reads high, the cancer is more advanced. Cancer is suspected when the blood test shows a PSA reading of 4 or more. Doctors are considering changing that number for obese men to something like 3.4 or 3.2, so they could have an earlier warning.

     Doctors say that surgery is difficult in obese men because the prostate is a thin organ and it's hard to work on it with a huge wall of fat in the way. Men that had a BMI of 35 or more were 60% more likely to have their cancer recur after surgery. Doctors say that's because not all of the cancer may have been removed due to the fat being in the way.