Men are less likely than women to seek preventive healthcare, with nearly one-third reporting they don’t have a primary care physician.[1] Yet regular preventive care can catch serious health problems early when they’re most treatable. This guide breaks down the key screenings, vaccinations, and health checks every man should prioritize—and when.
Blood Pressure and Heart Health
When to start: Every adult visit, beginning in young adulthood
High blood pressure often has no symptoms but significantly increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Blood pressure should be checked at every healthcare visit.[2] If you have sustained blood pressures greater than 135/80 mm Hg, you should be screened for diabetes.[1]
Cholesterol screening should begin at age 40 and continue through age 75.[2] If you have cardiovascular risk factors like family history, diabetes, or smoking, screening may start as early as at age 20.[1]
Cancer Screenings
- Colorectal Cancer
When to start: Age 45 for average-risk individuals[3][4]
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.[3] The good news? Screening can prevent cancer by finding and removing precancerous polyps.
Who should start earlier:
- Age 40 (or 10 years before the youngest affected relative’s diagnosis) if you have a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer or advanced polyps[4]
- Anyone with inflammatory bowel disease or genetic syndromes
Screening options include:[3][4]
- Colonoscopy every 10 years
- Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) annually
- Stool DNA test every 1-3 years
- CT colonography every 5 years
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years
When to stop: Continue screening through age 75. Between ages 76-85, discuss with your doctor based on your health status and prior screening history.[3][4]
- Prostate Cancer
When to discuss: Age 50 for average-risk men; age 45 for african american men or those with a family history[5][6]
Prostate cancer screening is a personal decision that requires an informed discussion with your healthcare provider about the potential benefits and harms.[7][8][6] The conversation should include:
- Your individual risk factors
- How screening works (PSA blood test with or without digital rectal exam)
- Potential benefits: Early detection of cancer
- Potential harms: False positives, unnecessary biopsies, overdiagnosis and overtreatment, treatment side effects like erectile dysfunction and incontinence
Who is at higher risk:
- African American men (twice the mortality rate of white men)[9][8]
- Men with a first-degree relative diagnosed before age 65
- Men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations[8][10]
Screening frequency: If you choose to be screened, testing typically occurs every 1-4 years for men ages 50-69.[10][7] How often you’re tested depends on your PSA level and risk factors.
When to stop: Routine screening is generally not recommended after age 70, though individualized decisions may be appropriate for very healthy men.[11][7]
- Lung Cancer
When to screen: Ages 50-80 if you have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years[2]
Lung cancer screening uses low-dose CT scans and has been shown to reduce lung cancer deaths in high-risk individuals. A “pack-year” is calculated by multiplying the number of packs smoked per day by the number of years smoking.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
When to screen: One-time ultrasound screening for men ages 65-75 who have ever smoked[2]
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a dangerous bulging of the main artery in your abdomen. It often has no symptoms until it ruptures, which is usually fatal. A simple ultrasound can detect it early.
References
- The Adult Well Male Examination. Heidelbaugh JJ, Tortorello M. American Family Physician. 2012;85(10):964-71.
- The Adult Well-Male Examination. Heidelbaugh JJ. American Family Physician. 2018;98(12):729-737.
- Screening for Colorectal Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. US Preventive Services Task Force, Davidson KW, Barry MJ, et al. JAMA. 2021;325(19):1965-1977. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6238.
- Colorectal Cancer Screening and Prevention. Sur DKC, Brown PC. American Family Physician. 2025;112(3):278-283.
- American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer. American Cancer Society (2023).
- Prostate Cancer Screening: Common Questions and Answers. Xu J, McPharlin S, Mulhem E. American Family Physician. 2024;110(5):493-499.
- Screening for Prostate Cancer. Pinsky PF, Parnes H. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2023;388(15):1405-1414. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp2209151.
- Prostate Cancer: A Review. Raychaudhuri R, Lin DW, Montgomery RB. JAMA. 2025;333(16):1433-1446. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.0228.
- Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts & Figures. Rick Alteri, Deana Baptiste, Emily Butler Bell, et al. American Cancer Society (2025).
- Early Detection of Prostate Cancer: AUA/SUO Guideline Part I: Prostate Cancer Screening. Wei JT, Barocas D, Carlsson S, et al. The Journal of Urology. 2023;210(1):46-53. doi:10.1097/JU.0000000000003491.
- Cancer Screening in Older Adults. Brown MM, Adams CA, Halpert KD. American Family Physician. 2025;112(6):629-637.
