MILWAUKEE - You've heard the message often: "get screened for prostate cancer, early detection is the key." But that message is evolving. The American Cancer Society is changing its recommendations for screening. What's more, if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, there is a chance you won't even be treated.

Dick Huxtable is a handsome 80-year-old man with a thick shock of white hair and an endearing smile. He rarely misses a day at the Wisconsin Athletic Club.

"I try to do it [exercise], more than anything else, to try and make me feel younger," Dick said after completing an exhilarating set on the elliptical trainer.

Dick hopes to be around a long time.  That's why he gets everything checked out by his doctor. Back in 1993 he began having an annual PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test. The PSA is a simple blood test for prostate cancer. In 2005, Dick's doctor also gave him a digital rectal exam. After the exam, he wanted Dick to get a biopsy.

"Well I went to this biopsy and he snipped and I almost went through the roof," Dick recalled of his procedure. "It really, really hurt. And he said 'that's alright were halfway through now." And, I said 'no we're not. We're all the way through. I'm off this table and I'm out of here.'"

Nearly five years later, Dick is doing just fine. He may have been well ahead of the curve. Getting checked for prostate cancer is a highly individual decision. There is a growing school of thought that in many cases, there may be no value to finding out about prostate cancer.

"Prostate cancer screening is not a black and white proposition," said Dr. Durado Brooks who heads the American Cancer Society's colorectal and prostate cancer control efforts. "When you have a PSA test done, that test gives some information. But, that information is in no way definitive in the vast majority of cases."

Dick Huxtable may have done the right thing when he ended his biopsy. While a biopsy would have shown if he had cancer, there's no way to tell how fast the cancer will grow. Dick could have cancer for years and feel just fine. So, in some cases, the side effects of the treatment are worse than living with cancer.

"Patients can have difficulty managing their urine or lose the ability to have sex," said Dr. Brooks.

Often times, older prostate cancer patients don't get any treatment at all. They simply go into a phase called "watchful waiting."

"But it is important to recognize that if you choose watchful waiting, or active surveillance, you do need to follow up with your doctor on a regular basis and have some testing and monitoring done," said Dr. Brooks.

The American Cancer Society is well aware that their changing message could be turned into a "screening does not work" headline. That's not what the organization wants. The hope is that as research continues on how to advance beyond screening, distinguishing innocuous prostate cancers from dangerous ones, people will be more realistic about what screening can do.