Prostate health: Early detection starts with screening
If you are a male over the age of 50 and haven’t received a prostate screening yet, perhaps this will strike a chord with you: one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.
Statistics show that typically male pride trumps the need to go to their physician, and according to a survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control, 26 percent of men had no office visits to a doctor or health professional in the past 12 months, compared to 13 percent of women. Whether it be denial, embarrassment, fear or the inconvenience, now is the time to stop pressing the snooze button. Move your health up on your list of priorities, and start scheduling your recommended check-ups.
While setting up your list of appointments, be sure to include a prostate exam. Although a prostate exam may seem unmanly and uncomfortable, prostate cancer remains the most common cancer in men with over 220,000 new diagnoses each year, and is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men. In comparison to Caucasian men, African-American men have a much higher incidence rate and are nearly 2.5 times more likely to die from the disease. Although the facts are shocking, screenings can help to defeat this disease and lower death rates. To put yourself at ease and make the process a little less daunting, it is important to know what the benefits are to getting screened, and to understand the process and steps a prostate exam entails.
What are the benefits of getting a prostate exam?
• Finding and treating prostate cancer early offers men more treatment options;
• There are fewer side effects when the cancer is found at the earliest stages;
• The survival rate for prostate cancer identified in its earliest stages is 90 percent;
• The number of deaths from prostate cancer has decreased since PSA testing became available;
• Screenings are quick and easy.
What happens during a prostate exam?
A prostate cancer screening first includes a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test to determine signs of prostate cancer. The prostate gland produces a protein called PSA, and all men’s prostate glands produce a PSA level. For this test, a small amount of blood is drawn and the level of PSA is measured. An elevation in this level or any changes may be an indication of cancer or other prostate issues or infections. The physician will also discuss a number of risk factors with the patient to evaluate the PSA scores, including their age, lifestyle and weight, family history, size of the prostate gland, how quickly PSA levels are changing and medications the patient is taking.
The second part of the exam is the digital rectal exam (DRE), a common prostate exam procedure to feel the prostate for bumps or other abnormalities. The DRE, performed by a doctor in usually a few minutes, has proved to be extremely effective in giving the doctor an accurate idea if the prostate is cancerous.
Prostate exams are nothing to be embarrassed about, nor should they be avoided. Millions of men are alive and healthy today due to their decision to get screened. During the month of September, many local hospitals and physicians are hosting free prostate exams for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. While this month is an opportune time to get screened, it isn’t the only time. Contact your physician or local hospital for more information and how to get your prostate screened today.
Dhiren Dave, MD, is a urologist and robotic surgeon at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset. He performs advanced robotically assisted laparoscopic surgery and has extensive experience in performing surgery using the DaVinci robotic surgical system. For more information, visit www.rwjuh.edu.
Credit for this article goes to myCentralJersey.com