By Maria Jauhar, M.D.
September’s observance of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is aimed at addressing a terrible mismatch. On the one hand, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among U.S. men. Yet the five-year survival rate from early diagnosis is almost 100%. After 10 years, 98% of men survive – if they were diagnosed early.
Clearly awareness is a lifesaver in prostate cancer. And awareness is what this month is all about.
Clearing Up Complexity
Terms like “near-100% survival” seem simple enough, yet controversy persists about whom to screen, how to screen, and when to screen for prostate cancer. Much of the controversy appears to stem from trying to foresee appropriate treatment, rather than focusing first on diagnosis.
It is true that there are many subtypes of prostate cancer. Some are aggressive and lethal. Others are slow-growing and pose little threat to a man’s lifespan, though this conclusion depends on a man’s age at diagnosis. Options range from intervention to active surveillance.
These assessments cannot be made however without discovering the disease, so debates about treatment methods and advisability seem best saved for after diagnosis.
Screening – When and How?
The subject starts to make a lot more sense in an established patient-doctor relationship. It is at the public health, statistical, broad population level that so much debate carries on about what age and what methods are correct for prostate cancer screening.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that there is no single answer, because one man in every seven gets prostate cancer. Multiply that by the subtypes of the disease, the age at diagnosis, and the other health characteristics of each patient, and it is no wonder that one-size-fits-all answers are suspect.
The best answer in each case comes from knowledge of the person as well as the disease. So screening and diagnosis might best begin in general practice, before the potential controversy of the specialists’ perspective.
Attention is Energy
With one man in seven getting prostate cancer, and nearly all surviving it if they catch it early, there are lots of prostate cancer “veterans” around. Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is a good time to get some dialog going with this huge resource of first-hand experience. If you haven’t discussed your prostate cancer risks with you physician now is a good time to do so. One-on-one, case-by-case is where the complexity and debate evaporate, and a clear path begins.
And if you don’t have a physician, we’re here to help. To schedule an appointment with us, call 912.897.6832 or use our online appointment request form.
