What Every Man Should Know About Prostate Cancer
1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Even as rates climb, innovations in detection and treatment are reshaping the outlook. In honor of Men’s Health Month this June, we spoke with Atlanta’s leading urologist and men’s health specialist, Scott D. Miller, MD, MBA, to unpack what every man should know about prostate cancer.
Q: How has our knowledge of prostate cancer changed over the past 10 years?
A: The biggest shift is precision. We’ve moved away from a one-size-fits-all approach to more personalized screening and treatment—better distinguishing which cancers are aggressive and which can be safely monitored. That’s led to a major change in care: active surveillance is now a standard option for low-risk cases, allowing many men to avoid or delay treatment.
Just as important, we’ve learned that prostate cancer is often silent. Most men feel completely fine at diagnosis. That’s why screening is critical. Waiting for symptoms can be misleading, as they’re more often caused by benign conditions, and by the time cancer causes symptoms, it may no longer be curable.
Q: There’s been a lot of talk about the PSA blood test. What should men know about PSA and DRE screenings?
A: The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test has become the foundation of prostate cancer screening, and for good reason, it saves lives. What’s changed is how we use it. We now look at trends over time and individual risk factors rather than just a single number. We no longer rely on the Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) as a primary screening tool. Eliminating that barrier has helped reduce hesitation around screening.
Q: What developments are shaping prostate cancer care today?
A: Advances in imaging are transforming how we detect and treat the disease. MRI has improved our ability to detect and target clinically significant cancers, and newer PET scans are helping us better stage disease and detect cancer spread earlier. In select cases, focal therapies are emerging that treat only the cancerous portion of the prostate.
For men who need surgery, evolving robotic techniques allow for smaller incisions, less blood loss, faster recovery and better preservation of urinary and sexual function. But outcomes are not just about the robot—they’re about the surgeon and the system around the patient. High-volume experience, refined technique and a coordinated care team all play a critical role. In the right hands, prostate cancer surgery today is both safe and highly effective.
run4DAD: More Than a Race
run4DAD returns June 21 at Wills Park in Alpharetta with a Peachtree Road Race qualifying 5K, a 1-mile walk, a tot trot and a “snooze4DAD” option for those cheering from home. run4DAD benefits ProstAware, a nonprofit founded by Dr. Miller in 2009, dedicated to empowering men and their loved ones in the fight against prostate cancer. Start Father’s Day morning with run4DAD to help raise prostate cancer awareness and save lives.
