The S&A Health Report: Prostate Cancer - What You Don't Know Can Kill You

For the envious golfers out there… I live within view of Rae’s Creek in Augusta, Georgia. In fact, my neighbors across the street back right up to the Augusta National Golf Club property. Some day, perhaps, I’ll be invited to join their club. For now, I am simply waiting for this spring. I was told by a co-author on a recent paper that his dad is a member and can get me on the course to play… we shall see. Two of my neighbors are avid golfers, and when they found out about my connections, they immediately suggested I make the outing a foursome. They’re not members either. But one of my neighbors is a unique person… he is only 47 and just found out he has prostate cancer. His story was a wake-up call for me. After doing even more research, I realized I had to share what I know with you.

In medical school, we were taught that if men lived to 120, every one would get prostate cancer. The good news is that, for the majority of men, it is a very slow-growing cancer. However, the fact that prostate cancer IS a cancer and the fact that it involves our “private parts” makes it all the more frightening. This year, about 250,000 men will be diagnosed with it, and about 30,000 men will die from it. From these numbers you can tell that the disease is a slowly progressive disease. Interestingly, men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than women are with breast cancer (1 in 6 versus 1 in 8). As for healthcare dollars, on the other hand, about $2,000 per death is spent on prostate cancer versus $14,000 per death for breast cancer. (As an aside, nearly $100 billion is spent on the space program versus ONLY $13 billion on cancer research.) Some more facts to ponder about prostate cancer:

The problem is that the cancer has almost no early symptons. Let me repeat this: THE CANCER USUALLY HAS NO SYMPTOMS. Prostate cancer can go on for years before producing some of the classic symptoms:

BUT, if caught early, the cancer is very CURABLE. The problem is, your doctor may not have the skill to catch this disease early. And that is where my neighbor’s story began.

My neighbor Jim, at age 46, went to a specialist, a urologist, because he was having a little bit of difficulty with urinating. The doctor did the usual checks and found his prostate to be just fine. Jim, however was not fully satisfied with the answer (remember to always trust your instincts when it comes to your health) and so went to his primary care physician (PCP) for a full top-to-bottom (no pun intended) check. His PCP was troubled by the prostate’s texture. (By the way, the prostate is only about the size of a walnut, and it can be an uncomfortable couple of minutes while the doctor searches.)

Immediately after the exam, Jim’s doctor ordered a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test, essentially a test to find prostate-produced material floating around in the blood. Well, his test result was sky-high and now he’s scheduled for surgery to remove his still small and hopefully curable cancer.

The American Cancer Society recommends a PSA and DRE (digital rectal exam) be “offered” annually.

These tests are simple and relatively inexpensive… demand that they be done by your doctor every year. And more importantly, find a doctor who has a good record of catching prostate cancer early. Call local oncologists and find out who sends them the most prostate cancer patients. Crosscheck the names with a few other oncologists if your town is large enough to support a few of these specialists.

There are a few things that men can do to lower their risk of prostate cancer:

Finally, if you do find yourself with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, be sure and talk with many people about possible treatments. Jim across the street was offered traditional surgery, but discovered that robotic surgery was much safer, offered faster recovery, and had outcomes similar to conventional surgery. However, he has to travel out of the state, and his insurance company doesn’t want to pay.

Also, be sure to find a doctor that understands the benefits of herbs such as saw palmetto and its role in prostate health… Jim’s first doctor laughed at the notion that it might help.

When it comes to PROSTATE HEALTH… What do I do?

Here’s to our health,

David Eifrig Jr., M.D., M.B.A.