Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States, and many of the conditions that lead to it, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, cause no symptoms for years. That is the case for regular checkups after 50: finding problems while they are still quiet and easy to treat.

The list below follows the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel that reviews the evidence on screening, and the CDC’s vaccine recommendations. Each item notes the year of the current guidance. Your own history may call for more, or less.

A quick key to the Task Force’s language: an A or B grade means the service is recommended; a C means it should be offered selectively, based on your situation and preferences; a D means the Task Force recommends against it; and an I means the evidence is not yet good enough to decide. Grades describe people of average risk, so a strong family history or a past abnormal result can change the plan.

Heart and metabolic health

  • Blood pressure. The USPSTF (2021) recommends screening all adults and suggests checking yearly from age 40, with a high office reading confirmed by home or ambulatory readings before treatment. See home blood pressure monitoring.
  • Blood sugar. Screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes is recommended for adults 35 to 70 who have overweight or obesity (USPSTF, 2021), about every three years if results are normal.
  • Cholesterol and statins. For adults 40 to 75 with at least one risk factor and a 10-year cardiovascular risk of 10 percent or more, the USPSTF (2022) recommends a statin; between 7.5 and 10 percent, it is an individual decision. Some men benefit from extra tests such as ApoB and Lp(a) or a coronary calcium score.

Cancer screening

  • Colorectal cancer. Recommended from 45 through 75, with a selective decision from 76 to 85 (USPSTF, 2021). Colonoscopy and stool-based tests are both options.
  • Lung cancer. A yearly low-dose CT is recommended for adults 50 to 80 with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history who still smoke or quit within the past 15 years (USPSTF, 2021). More in low-dose CT for lung cancer.
  • Skin. Florida sun makes regular skin checks worth discussing; see skin cancer checks in Florida.

Two checks specific to men

Prostate cancer. The current USPSTF recommendation (2018) says that for men 55 to 69, the decision to have PSA screening should be an individual one, made after talking through the possible benefit (a small reduction in the chance of dying from prostate cancer) and the harms (false positives, biopsies, and treatment of cancers that would never have caused trouble). It recommends against routine PSA screening from age 70. The Task Force lists this topic as being updated, so the guidance may change. It also asks clinicians to tell Black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer about their higher risk, since they may have more to gain from screening.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm. For men 65 to 75 who have ever smoked (usually defined as 100 or more cigarettes in a lifetime), the USPSTF (2019) recommends a one-time ultrasound of the aorta. For men in that age group who never smoked, it is a selective decision based on family history and other risks.

Vaccines, falls and the rest

Bone density testing in men is a gray area: the USPSTF (2025) found the evidence insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening, so it is a judgment call based on risk factors such as long-term steroid use or a prior fracture. Our article on bone density screening has more.

At Legacy Medical, the annual executive physical is where Dr. Shtern puts this list together for you, keeps track of what is due, and talks through the judgment calls such as PSA testing. To meet her first, book a complimentary meet and greet.

This article is general information, not advice for your situation. Members can call the office with questions about their own care.