Turning 50 and male? Happy birthday, here are 4 medical tests to add to your routine

Excerpted from Newsweek's "An Ounce of Prevention":

* 1. Colon-cancer screening. Men at average risk can choose from four options: an annual fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) with colonoscopy for a positive test; a FOBT plus sigmoidoscopy every five years; a colonoscopy every 10 years; or a double-contrast barium enema every five to 10 years. Individuals at higher-than-average risk (like those who have had previous colon polyps or colon cancer in a parent or sibling) should choose colonoscopy; it's the most arduous test but also the best.

* 2. Prostate-cancer screening. Colon-cancer screening is a no-brainer; every man should have it, though each can decide which type to have. But prostate-cancer screening is controversial. It is surely the best way to detect prostate cancer in its earliest, most-treatable form. Still, it is far from certain that early treatment will prolong life, and for some men the side effects of treatment will be worse than the illness, which is often very indolent. Annual PSA blood tests and digital rectal exams should be offered to men starting at age 50 (or at 40 or 45 for African Americans, or men with fathers or brothers with prostate cancer). Doctors should discuss the pros and cons of screening with each patient, who then has the burden of deciding for himself. Testing is unlikely to be helpful beyond age 70 to 75.

* 3. Eye exams by a specialist every one to two years, starting at age 50.

* 4. An annual flu shot.