Removing The Mystery From A Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

Friday, March 1, 2019

A Prostate Cancer Diagnosis (NAPSA)—According to the American CancerSociety, about one in nine ‘American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. A leading cause of cancer inmen,morethan 173,000 newdiag- nosesare expectedin the U.S. this year. Fortunately, this disease can be treated successfully, especially ifcaughtearly. What To Do If you're 50 orolder or have a fam- ily historyofprostate cancer, you should speak to your doctor about whether screeningforthe diseaseis right for you. Understanding Prostate Cancer “In the early stages, the most common symptomsof prostate cancer are no symptomsat all? says Deepak A. Kapoor, M.D., founderofthe non-profit, Integrated Medical Foundation, and President of Advanced Urology Centers of New York. ‘Thereare four stages ofprostate can- cer. Stage oneis diagnosed very early and confined to the prostate. At this stage,the patientis unlikely to be experiencing any symptoms. He maynot need treatment beyond regular follow-up bloodtests, examsand possibly biopsies. ‘Thediseaseis very treatable. When diagnosedearly, the five-year relative survivalrate is almost 100 percent. WhyDo Some MenResist Routine Screenings? Many men are embarrassed by the digital rectal exam, concerned about Learning aboutprostate cancer ear- ly can save yourlife—and can be easier than many menre dence how aggressive the canceris and which patients will do well on active surveillance. Theywill also know which therapy optionswill be the optimal for the patient. Making it easier for doctors and their patients to do this testing is the full-range of diagnostic equipment and supplies available through the trusted advisors at Henry Schein Medical, a provider of medical and surgical supplies to health care professionals. Treatments: There are many ways to treat prostate cancer, including hormonetherapy, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and cryoablation. The newest innovation beingsuccessfully utilized is immunotherapy, which uses your own immunesystem toidentify, target and destroy the cancercells without harm- Some Answers ing the body's own “goodcells” Your doctor can help you decide what's best for you. cancer wasbeing diagnosedwith a sim- have the most optionsavailable when treatmentorfear they can't afford it. Testing: Since the 1980s, prostate ple blood test, the PSA. It checks the levelof prostate-specific antigen in your blood. In the past, there was controversy about whether having a prostate can- cer screening done was beneficial or if it produced more harmful effects due to complications from over-testing. PSA testing wasthe bestthing available for a long time. New tools now exist that provide much more information, giving pre- dictability about the aggressiveness of the cancer and data to help urologists safely manage their patients’ disease. With this information,urologists have higher numbers of appropriate candi- dates on active surveillance regimens. Using tests such as the Gleason grade score, overall patient health and risk factors—age, race,ethnicity, family history and exposure to Agent Orange— urologists can determine with confi- Itis important to rememberthat you prostate canceris diagnosedearly andis in the mosttreatable stage.It is important for mento be vigilant with their routinescreenings. Paying: Many insurance policies will pay for diagnostic tests and in some places, such as NewYorkState, there's mo co-pay or co-insurance cost shar- ing responsibility for diagnostic pros- tate cancer screenings (with such poli- cies). This puts PSAs on the samelevel as mammograms,thanks to efforts of advocates and doctors such as those at Advanced Urology Centers of New York,one ofthe largest urology group practices in the country. Learn More Forfurtherfacts, visit the American CancerSociety at www.cancer.org and Integrated Medical Foundation (IMF) https://imfcares.org. IMF provides screenings, education and support ser- vices FREE.

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