From Deseret News archives:
Men urged to start prostate screening when they hit 50
Urologists discuss treatments, options with hotline callers
At 50, it's important to start annual screenings — and younger for African-American men or those with a family history of the disease, which is a leading cause of cancer deaths in American men.
Middleton, a urologist at Cottonwood Hospital, and Johnson, a urologist practicing at LDS Hospital and Salt Lake Regional Medical Center, fielded dozens of calls, from as far away as Virginia, during the hotline. They heard from a woman whose 92-year-old father has prostate cancer and doesn't know whether to seek active treatment, and from younger men who have been treated for prostate cancer and are now, years later, finding that the cancer has recurred.
Because it's typically, although not always, a slow-growing cancer, many patients will live long enough to die of something else even if nothing is done, Middleton said. That's one reason elderly prostate cancer patients and their doctors may choose to monitor the disease closely but not treat it with surgery, hormones or radiation.
Chemotherapy has not proven effective with prostate cancer, although it may be used palliatively to improve quality of life and reduce pain, Johnson said.
In the past, some men have opted to avoid surgery because of twin complications that could occur: erectile dysfunction and incontinence. Because of new techniques, surgeons now operate with a greatly reduced risk of either of those occurring.
Prostate cancer can recur, even if the prostate is removed, sometimes many years later. Follow-up must be consistent, with routine checks of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. An increase in the level after treatment "virtually always means cancer is present," Johnson said.
Diet impacts the chance of getting prostate cancer. Regular consumption of rich red meats has consistently been tied to risk of developing it, while bright red fruits, on the other hand, offer some protection, Middleton said. Several of the callers wanted to know how to tailor diets to avoid increasing their risks.
"I tell people that a heart-healthy diet is a prostate-healthy diet," Johnson said.
Most people, he added, are familiar with a heart-healthy diet, low in fats and packed with fruits and vegetables.
The Deseret Morning News and Intermountain Healthcare team up on a different health topic the second Saturday of each month. All calls are confidential.
E-mail: lois@desnews.com
