Episode 387: Prostate Cancer Screening, Early Detection, and Disparities

"[When] a lot of men think about prostate exams, they immediately think of the glove going on the hand of the physician, and they immediately clench. But really try to talk with them and discuss with them what some of the benefits are of understanding early detection. Even just having those conversations with their providers so that they understand what the risk and benefits are of having screening. And then educate patients on what a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal exam (DRE) actually are—how it happens, what it shows, and what the necessary benefits of those are," ONS member Clara Beaver, DNP, RN, AOCNS^®, ACNS-BC, manager of clinical education and clinical nurse specialist at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, MI, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS^®, manager of oncology nursing practice at ONS, during a conversation about prostate cancer screening, early detection, and disparities.

Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 

Earn 0.25 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by October 31, 2026. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Learning outcome: Learners will report an increase in knowledge related to prostate screening, early detection, and disparities.

Episode Notes 

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.
• ONS Podcast™ Episode 149: Health Disparities and Barriers in Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Gender-Affirming Hormones May Lower PSA and Delay Prostate Cancer Diagnosis in Transgender Women
  • Healthy Lifestyles Reduce Prostate Cancer Mortality in Patients With Genetic Risk
  • Hispanic Patients Are at Higher Risk for Aggressive Prostate Cancer but Less Likely to Get Treatment
  • Leveling State-Level Tax Policies May Increase Equality in Cancer Screening and Mortality Rates
  • Most Cancer Screening Guidelines Don't Disclose Potential Harms
• ONS book: Understanding Genomic and Hereditary Cancer Risk: A Handbook for Oncology Nurses
• ONS course: Genomic Foundations for Precision Oncology
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing article: Barriers and Solutions to Cancer Screening in Gender Minority Populations
• Oncology Nursing Forum articles:
  • Disparities in Cancer Screening in Sexual and Gender Minority Populations: A Secondary Analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data
  • Symptom Experiences Among Individuals With Prostate Cancer and Their Partners: Influence of Sociodemographic and Cancer Characteristics
• Other ONS resources:
  • Genomics and Precision Oncology Learning Library
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