September is Prostate Cancer Awareness month—but that’s a misnomer. We need to pay attention to prostate cancer every month. I’m frequently reminded of this.
Recently a dear friend, who’s 64, telephoned to tell me the results of his biopsy: yes, he did have prostate cancer, but it looked as though it had been caught in the very early stages. What prompted the biopsy was an increase in his PSA in one year from 2.8 to 3.5.
My friend is already overwhelmed by all the treatment options: his urologist is strongly recommending robotic surgery, but did mention seeds, external beam radiation, freezing, and many of the other treatments. Fortunately, my friend said: “I’ll take my time, research all the options, talk to a variety of doctors, and then I’ll make my decision.” How very sensible!!!
Regular PSA testing by my friend means that he caught his prostate cancer early.
The other side of the coin is illustrated by my own case. When I turned 50, I had a PSA test every year. But for a variety of reasons, there was a two year period when I missed being tested. And the next thing I knew, my PSA dramatically jumped from 2.8 to 32! Enough said.
Recently a dear friend, who’s 64, telephoned to tell me the results of his biopsy: yes, he did have prostate cancer, but it looked as though it had been caught in the very early stages. What prompted the biopsy was an increase in his PSA in one year from 2.8 to 3.5.
My friend is already overwhelmed by all the treatment options: his urologist is strongly recommending robotic surgery, but did mention seeds, external beam radiation, freezing, and many of the other treatments. Fortunately, my friend said: “I’ll take my time, research all the options, talk to a variety of doctors, and then I’ll make my decision.” How very sensible!!!
Regular PSA testing by my friend means that he caught his prostate cancer early.
The other side of the coin is illustrated by my own case. When I turned 50, I had a PSA test every year. But for a variety of reasons, there was a two year period when I missed being tested. And the next thing I knew, my PSA dramatically jumped from 2.8 to 32! Enough said.