September marks Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, a key opportunity to spotlight the importance of screening and early detection.
Prostate cancer continues to be a primary focus in men’s health – making education on screening best practices more crucial than ever.
1. Prioritize your screening.
All men at age 40 should consider having a simple blood test to check for prostate cancer. The test is called “Prostate Specific Antigen” or “PSA”. Measuring this protein in a man’s blood can determine his current and future risk for prostate cancer.
2. Learn about your individual risk.
Age is the most important factor—rare until age 40, the risk rises and peaks at about age 60 and remains higher until the mid-70’s. Black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer are also at higher risk and should be even more mindful about getting checked.
3. Don’t fear the dreaded prostate exam!
While this is still important, the PSA is a lot easier and can replace the traditional prostate exam for most men. Speak with your doctor about your options.
4. Speak up, don’t suffer in silence.
If new symptoms arise, bring them up to your doctor. Don’t ignore that weak urine stream or frequent urination as men advance through middle age. This is usually not prostate cancer, but age-related prostate gland enlargement, called “Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia” or “BPH”. This is usually treated with simple daily prescription medications—don’t suffer in silence.
5. Ask your doctor or reach out to Summus.
Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor about prostate health and ask for a urology referral if you have further concerns. You can always reach out to Summus if you need help finding a new primary care provider or urologist, have questions about your risk, want to understand your screening options, or have concerns about new symptoms.