Conquer Prostate Cancer Now

Digital Rectal Exam Message of NFL Hall of Famer, Mike Haynes

Mike Haynes, an NFL Hall of Famer, is doing a lot of good in showing that a real man like him can be open about the need for an annual digital rectal exam (DRE) to detect if you might have prostate cancer.

As a fellow prostate cancer survivor and author of Conquer Prostate Cancer, I have had several conversations with him. As such I  know he is genuinely concerned in offering his forthright message that men should routinely have their prostates checked out annually through a DRE and PSA testing starting at age 40. This is in keeping with the age standard set by the American Urological Association two years ago. Kudos to CBS 8 (San Diego) for its fine interview with Mike! 
   
If you’d like to hear Mike’s interview see www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=13680149 and read the CBS write-up that follows.

Prostate Cancer Recurrence or PSA - How Low Can You Go?

Viewer Question:

I went through a robotics prostatectomy about 1 ½ years ago. Recently my PSA score climbed from .001 to .009.  Does that mean my prostate cancer is coming back?     --I.R.

PSA Screening and Bicycles - Part Two

PSA screening is not a good idea if you’ve been on a bike during the 48 hours preceding your visit to get your blood drawn.  Before prostate cancer screening you also need to avoid sexual intercourse and make sure you don't have an infection such as prostatitis. These are comments I underscored a couple of days ago in the first of this two-part series on PSA screening and bicycles.  But what else can cause an elevated PSA score?

PSA Screening and Bicycles - Part One

PSA screening was on the minds of two men, who recently contacted me by phone for prostate cancer health coaching. One man was a dentist and the other was a clergyman.  Both were in their mid- to late fifties.

These two gentlemen contacted me because they felt I could help them deal with their fears about their first-time-ever PSA screening results.  They were both extremely anxious and in slight shock because their PSA scores were high.  At a time when they felt perfectly healthy, they were alarmed because they thought the next step would be a biopsy and the possibility they'd be diagnosed with cancer.

Routine PSA Screening a Must, Despite Advice from Cancer Society

In this guest post, William E. Arnold, Ph.D., explains why PSA screening is so important and interviews several prostate cancer survivors including me, to bolster this point.  - Rabbi Ed

 Prostate cancer is treatable—27,000 men don’t have to die each year in America. While prostate cancer in its early stages may not have any symptoms, you should honestly ask yourself if you are experiencing any of the following:

PSA Screening and Prostate Cancer Diagnosis - Controversial Again

A prostate cancer diagnosis through PSA screening and other tests is easy to determine but has become increasingly controversial. In my current National Prostate Cancer Awareness Tour since this past June, I've encouraged men to get an annual PSA and DRE exam. 

I continue to argue for this even after reading and hearing the American Cancer Society's controversial position about refraining from PSA screenings, recently noted in the New York Times and on ABC Evening News. 

Prostate Cancer is No "Picnic in the Park"

Q: If you have to get any one of nearly 200 cancers, isn't prostate cancer the best one to get because it's curable?

   -- Pat 

A: Prostate cancer tends to be curable. It is not "the ideal cancer," though, since cancer of any kind is no "picnic in the park." 

With 27,000 men dying annualy, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of male cancer deaths after lung cancer. That's a lot of fatalities even though the majority of nearly 200,000 newly diagnosed cases in the USA (and 300,000 in Europe) don't end up dying due to prostate cancer.

Lyphedema (Swelling) after Prostate Surgery - Unusual?

Q. I had prostate surgery in December 2007. Almost immediately my legs began to swell and have swollen ever since. There are times when it is worse than others. Is this a common thing? And is there any procedure that can take care of this problem which has been called "lymphedema"?

--Louis R.

To Screen or Not to Screen for Prostate Cancer

For the past 40 years doctors have emphasized the value of routine annual screening to avoid more advanced cancer. However some leading scientists have now vocally opposed routine screening for most cancers.

The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test - The Last Word, for Now

At the end of the American Urological Association conference in Chicago on April 28, its conveners announced that the AUA's year 2000 standard of practice for all men 50 and over to get the PSA test should now be lowered to age 40 and up. This is an overt endorsement of the PSA test, despite its deficiencies, providing patients are likely to live at least another ten years.