Do they check for prostate cancer in the class 1 medical exam?
On the FAA, once over 50, yes, not sure on the JAA/CAA.
OK, let me clarify that. The ME will do a DRE (Digital rectal examination) of the prostate. That's not going to provide a diagnosis of cancer, all it can do it indicate if the prostate is enlarged, or has nodules, or growths, on it's surface, both of which can be indicators of cancer, or another problem, benign prostate hyperplasia, (enlargement), which normally only causes problems initially with urination.
There was another thread on Prostate a couple of weeks back, I'm not going to repeat what I said there, other than to say, do NOT avoid this check, and if there's any family history of prostate problems, don't leave the check until 50, in some cases, problems may have already started before 50.
Another useful indicator is the PSA blood test, which can give advance warning of problems, though it can find things that are not life threatening in the way that prostate cancer can be.
Bottom line (yeah horrible pun I know
), get whatever checks are appropriate, and be very happy if nothing untoward is found.
And to anyone who wonders why I'm a little evangelical about this subject, it's because I had a very close encounter with PC a couple of years ago, and it was pure luck that it got caught when it did, as I didn't need a class 1 at the time. As a result of all of that, I know a lot more about prostate than I wanted to, and a lot of what I found out has made me very determined to try and make sure that no one I know or who asks important questions about PC will die because no one had the guts to speak out about it. Too many people have died of PC through ignorance or fear or both, if it's caught early, it is very treatable, and life after PC is worth living.