register |  login
› DENVER
Loading Ad
Visit Other Hubs:
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Tower
Blog
Blog Entry 67 of 112 GreatAmericanBlog
This is a blog designed to be a conduit for a broad range of Colorado bloggers who have something to say - on current events, society in general, even some creative writing. I cover Southeast and Southwest Denver in general, so I'll write a lot about those areas, and would like to hear from folks there too. But I'll range widely in the creative sense, and you should too. So hit the keyboard and start blogging! Daniel Smith

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~DanielsBlog

Prostate check could be death-defying

Contributed by: Daniel Smith/YourHub.com   on 9/24/2007

Men got PSAs and DREs on Sept. 21, and for some, it could be death-defying.
They were part of a free prostate screenings offered during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week. More than a hundred came to Denver Health Medical Center for screenings that could be the most important test of their lives.
The PSA is a Prostate Specific Antigen blood test, which can give early detection of prostate cancer. A DRE is a digital rectal exam, that allows the physician to check the size and texture of the prostate.

The DRE is not as unpleasant as one might think. It's less than 30 seconds long, and could be a life-saver. The DRE and perhaps the screening questions on sexual and urinary function, could keep some men from getting the exam.
Dr. Mario Chammas, who performed my exam, was glad to help spread awareness of the need for an exam to catch the disease, which kills tens of thousands of men each year, needlessly.
"From even 15 years ago to now, the chances are much better for curing this disease, once detected early," he said.

The irony, he points out, is that men can be more difficult to convince of the need for such screenings. "It's more of a cultural reason," Chammas said, "men are more sensitive to these exams. We need to break the paradim that the physical exam may change them somehow."

Chammas says the 15 to 20 seconds needed for the DRE to check the size and texture of the prostate gland, combined with the PSA blood test, can go a long way in detecting the second leading cause of cancer death in men early enough for a complete cure.

As part of the screening process, you also fill out a multi-page form containing general and more specific health questions; in addition you can volunteer to have your health information remain part of a research data base.
The session at Denver Health Davis Pavilion took me less than an hour.While I've been tested previously, it's one of those things that's easy to forget about, and over age 50, and many health experts recommend you get the Prostate Specific Antigen test and DRE regularly.

Dr. Fernando Kim, Chief of Urology at DHMC, said while campaigns on beast cancer testing in women have been very successful, more needs to be done to promote prostate cancer awareness.

If you need more reasons to get the screening, mull over a few of these specifics from the Prostate Cancer Awareness Week Web site www.pcaw.com.

-More than 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year.

- One out of every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

-More than 30,000 men will die from prostate cancer this year.

If you or your loved one is a man over 40, the experts say make sure this simple exam is part of a regular health review - it is vital.

The PCAW site reminds that prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. There is often no way to detect prostate cancer in its early stages except through a PSA blood test and a DRE done by a trained professional. The Prostate Cancer Education Council is raising awareness and education on prostate cancer and getting men screened early for the disease visit the Web site at pcaw.comfor more information.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week is a program designed to assist local communities with screening information guidelines, questionnaires, and publicity lab work.

The Postate Cancer Educaation Council collects data from dedicated professionals who make it possible to evaluate and track the development of prostate cancer and identify the current trends and issues associated with prostate cancer. Without the cooperation and committment of hundreds of people across America, it would be impossible to do the promotion and awareness campaigns that have benefited millions of men and saved thousands of lives.


SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above blog



Talk Back : submit comments to the blog

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

SAVE AND SHARE THIS BLOG ENTRY
BLOG ENTRY RSS FEEDS
BLOG LIST
WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?
Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is  register,  then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyonewhat events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

Loading Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

This YourHub.com community is produced by The Denver Newspaper Agency
Web Development and Channel Analytics provided by Indigio

terms of use //  privacy policy
the staff //  advertise //  help & faq
buy photos