A new study has found that regular screenings for prostate cancer cut the risk of dying from the disease in half, according to Lancet Oncology. This is because patients who may develop prostate cancer will be more likely to be diagnosed earlier and begin treatment sooner.

In an effort to determine how much regular screenings increased mortality rates linked to the illness, more than 20,000 men who were born between 1930 and 1944 were split into two groups. Every two years, the first group would visit a physician and undergo a prostate exam and were compared to the control group.

After 14 years of follow-ups, the results of the study showed that in the screening group 11.4 percent of cancer cases were diagnosed, while 7.2 percent were detected in the control group. Also, of the patients who developed prostate cancer, 231 were diagnosed during the first round of screenings, while 665 cases were discovered during several rounds of exams.

These findings could prove that annual screenings can lead to early detection of the illness, which may increase the chances of survival in these patients. In 2006, of the 203,315 men who developed prostate cancer, a total of 28,372 patients had died from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).