Health Hotline to focus on urology woes

Though prostate cancer kills more men in Utah than any other type of cancer, there has been controversy of late over whether men should be screened for the disease and whether such screening actually saves lives.

Men would rather avoid early detection tests, said Dr. Scott Chidester, a urologist at the Intermountain Urological Institute at Intermountain Medical Center, because a rectal exam is uncomfortable.

While the cancer is slow-growing, doctors are better able to treat it in the early stages, so screening should be done annually as part of a physical exam, he said.

Chidester will join his colleague and director of the Intermountain Urological Institute, Dr. Jay Bishoff, in answering questions about prostate and kidney cancers, kidney stones, infections and other urological conditions today from 10 a.m. to noon on the monthly Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Hotline. From the Salt Lake area, call 801-236-6061. Elsewhere, the toll-free number is 1-800-925-8177, only operational during hotline hours.

This month, you can also e-mail questions to hotline @desnews.com from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.

A sampling of question and the answers will be posted online next Friday.

Open discussion among men about the disease is nearly nonexistent, Chidester said, until a man reveals he's been diagnosed. "Then you find he immediately has 20 friends who have it. People just come out of the woodwork."

Though still difficult to talk about, the topic has become more socially acceptable than it was 15 or 20 years ago, he said.

Because the disease has no symptoms but becomes more prevalent as men age, 80 percent of men in their 80s will have developed the cancer, he said. "It's very slow-growing and takes about 10 years to kill the average guy."

Those who do find it in their 50s, 60s or 70s can often significantly prolong their lives through treatment, which includes surgery for the most aggressive cases. Radiation therapy may be an easier option for those in the early stages.

The cure rate, he said, "is a little lower."

The side effects of treatment vary widely, Chidester said, from incontinence and erectile dysfunction following surgery to irritation of the rectum and bladder, frequent urination and bowel movements after radiation.

Those most at risk are men with a family history of the disease, he said, and they should be screened earlier rather than later.