Prostate Cancer Awareness

Prostate Cancer Awareness

One of every six American men can expect to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. If you're 40 or older, get screened now

[Music] in our living well segment today nearly one in every six men and American can be expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime that's right but the good news is it's when it's caught early it's very treatable and that's why awareness is so important today we're joined by Dr Brian Lang Lane of the spectrum Medical Group to share information what we need to know to keep our dads our husbands our sons healthy thanks so much for joining us today why is awareness so important when it comes to the prostate health well thanks for having me it's it's so important because when we catch this cancer early it is almost always treatable uh prostate cancer as you said is is the most common type of cancer in us men and there are still men who die of this disease despite the fact that we're looking for it we're doing a great job with screening we're treating it early and some men still are dying so it is important to look and to look early because the best chance for a cure is to catch it early and we hear that repeated over and over and over again and again as you said still men don't go in for those screenings at what age should the prostate screening really begin so this really is a new thing that the American Urologic Association has changed which is to start recommending screening from the age of 40 uh up until about a year ago the age of 50 was when we were recommending it and the reason why the Ages come down is because the screening test this PSA test is a better test in younger men um before the prostate starts to grow before we have all these difficulty that that bring men to the urologist's attention um that's the best time to really see if this blood test is off and if there's something to be concerned about because the PSA measures what it's a reasonably non-specific test it measures that something's going on in the prostate it can be elevated either because there's cancer it can be elevated just because the prostate is growing okay uh and so again it's important to test it before the prostate starts to grow cuz that really gives you a good idea if it's up that something's wrong all right okay why don't we uh take us to the diagrams and just kind of give us a little bit of anatomy 101 when it comes to the prostate so the prostate gland it lives uh deep in the pelvis below the bladder it's something that wraps around uh the the tube through which the urine comes and it's in red in this diagram and when prostate cancer is detected early these little black modules you see in the diagram would represent the cancer cells uh they haven't spread outside of the prostate gland this is a great time for treatment um a single treatment works and sometimes we even hold off for a while before we recommend treatment be given and that contrasts significantly with the the next diagram where if we wait the prostate cancer cells can grow and then they can stick outside of the gland and you see that here you see a more aggressive looking uh gray and and black more ominous appearing cancer cells when it gets outside of the prostate that's when we're more concerned and these are the patients who are at risk of dying of their prostate cancer so screening helps us to catch it early before the symptoms arrive and before the cancer is outside of the prostate because if you catch it when it's contained it really is just treating that prostate correct correct and all the the best treatments for prostate cancer and for early detected prostate cancer Focus right on that gland you don't need to have a treatments that would affect the remainder of your body they all are focused on that gland okay now what about um those kinds of individuals that should definitely make sure they're screened I mean you're talking about Universal screening starting at age 40 but what about if you've got a family risk history right so family history we know is a significant predictor of developing prostate cancer and so when you have someone in your family then you're definitely the one uh who we need to get in and screen by 40 we use a lower threshold usually on that PSA test uh to recommend further further testing and to get a biopsy then you know everyone who's 40 I think should get an initial PSA test but for sure if you have a family history you really need to come in now you're saying at the age of 40 men should really start coming in and getting this test now is this once a year testing or every few years that's a it's a great question and so there's a lot of controversy around that topic um there's definitely uh information out there that that initial test predicts your long-term risk of cancer whether or not you have it every year or every five years it's that initial value that's important so I I happen to think screening every year if it's normal and low may be Overkill we may really be able to decrease the amount of screening that we do but again we need to get in at least the first time uh and then make a plan with the primary care physici about how often to screen after that and there's so much information and it really changes as the research becomes available especially is doctors like yourself and the the doctors in your group are on The Cutting Edge with technology and so you have a special event coming up on Thursday we wanted to share that information with people we do so on Thursday at the lemon Holton cancer Pavilion we will have the da Vinci robot available uh for anyone in the public who wants to come down to see it uh to test drive it uh and then also many of the people in town who are the Urologic surgeons who do the robotic surgery will be there to answer questions I'll be there in the evening to answer questions and give a pres presentation about uh options uh for Prostate Cancer Care and it's a field where there are a lot of opportunities and a lot of options uh each person needs to make an individualized decision about what's the best for them so uh should be a good event good opportunity for those who are interested to come a great way to ask questions and just to engage with that information especially if you're nervous if you don't have a lot of access to you know a healthcare provider who you feel comfortable asking those questions to thank you Lan for joining us today than for we'll have all that information on our website as well we'll be right back that's West

#Prostate #Cancer #Awareness

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@PendeltonWhiskey 2 June 2025 at 22:46

Thank you for making and posting this video. This is an old video and treatment options have dramatically improved in the last eleven years. Prostate cancer awareness is so important in saving lives, it saved mine. My father died of prostate cancer so I was paying close attention to my PSA count but I know a lot of men just leave it all up to their general practitioner to keep track of their PSA counts but since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer I've been asking all my friends what their PSA counts are and very few of them can answer me. Then they get a little lecture about how that's a number they should be able to quote when asked. In my own case, my GP wasn't paying any attention to my PSA count at all. I had a test that showed I had a PSA count of almost 6, so I became nervous. A few months later I just started feeling uneasy about my PSA count so I called and requested a blood draw and as it turned out that blood draw saved me. So my message to every man out there is that they should consider themselves to be their own sentinel and pay close attention if the number starts going up.

Now I'm going to make my pitch for the treatment that saved me:

I just survived prostate cancer thanks to Proton Beam Radiation. I was treated by the SCCA Proton Center at the University of Washington Hospital in Seattle and it was the best thing I ever did. My father died of prostate cancer and I'm pretty sure his father also died of it, so I was paying attention to my PSA count and got the tissue samples taken just as soon as my psa count quickly doubled from 6 to 12.

Prior to treatment, my PSA count was 12.35

Three months after my last treatment my PSA count was 0.21

I thought it had to be a mistake so I decided to wait for the next psa count to be convinced and

three months after that my PSA count was 0.1

I was treated without surgery.

Of course, I couldn’t be any happier with the results. I have no sexual or bladder issues or any other side effects except one minor detail, I ejaculate less, almost none at all. That’s it, the orgasm is exactly the same, just a very light ejaculate and I’m just more than fine with that trade off. My ability to pass water is fantastic. I was having a terrible time peeing before treatment started but now I have no problems peeing whatsoever. I'm convinced my prostate went back to normal size. I don't think my Oncologist believed me when I told him that but from the perspective I have now, (six months out from treatment,) I'm absolutely convinced my prostate is much smaller. It’s a miracle. Proton beam is just an amazing treatment and the facility, doctors and staff are awesome. Good luck!
@billheffer2761 2 June 2025 at 22:46

Get screened early. I put it off and had PC. Should have been aware in my 40's.