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Prostate Cancer - Make an Informed Decision
Source: American Cancer Society, June 2002

If you’re a man, you should be concerned about prostate cancer, which will claim more than 30,000 lives this year. But you may have heard different advice on what you should be doing about it. When it comes to making the right decision for you, the issue can seem a little cloudy. Here’s what you should know.

The Uncertainty
For American men, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death. The good news is that prostate cancer can often be treated successfully if it is caught early. But researchers don’t have the data to know for sure that early detection for prostate cancer actually saves lives. And many treatment options for prostate cancer can result in side effects that can decrease quality of life for some men. Currently, researchers and the medical community are working to better understand this disease, as well as how to best detect and treat it.

So what is the best defense against prostate cancer?

Your Best Defense
The answer for each man is different. Learning all you can about your personal risk for prostate cancer and options for early detection testing will help you make informed decisions about your prostate health.

Talk to your doctor about your risk. Simply being a man and growing older are the greatest risk factors. Being black (the death rate for black men is twice as high as white men), having a family history of the disease, and eating a high-fat diet can significantly increase your risk of prostate cancer.

Some other important things to remember about prostate cancer:

• In its early stages, prostate cancer has no symptoms.
• A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test (a simple blood test) along with a digital rectal exam (DRE) is the best way to detect anything abnormal. This applies primarily for men 50 and older or younger men at higher risk, but discuss it with your doctor.
• Prostate cancer grows slowly over many years, and many are not life-threatening; if you are diagnosed, you may not need to rush a treatment decision.
• There are many treatment options for prostate cancer, so an open dialogue with your doctor is essential.

Educating yourself is the key to making the right decision about your own health care. For more information about prostate cancer or to join the fight, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.