Learn more
American Urological
Assocation Foundation
www.knowyourstats.org
www.urologyhealth.org
www.auanet.org
Prostate Cancer
Foundation
www.pcf.org
American
Prostate Society
www.ameripros.org
National Prostate
Cancer Coalition
www.fightprostate
cancer.org
Cancer Information
Network
www.cancerlinkusa/
prostate
CancerGuide
http://cancerguide.org/
prostate.html
Men vs.
prostate
cancer
VIC TOR HOLT PHOTOGRAPHY
American
Cancer Society
www.cancer.org/cancer/
prostatecancer
National Cancer
Institute
www.cancer.gov
■ Having a father or
brother with prostate
cancer doubles the risk
of a man having prostate
cancer, especially if a
relative died from it and
at a young age.
■ African-American
men have a 60 percent
higher incidence of
prostate cancer than
Caucasian Americans
and are twice as likely to
die from the disease.
■ Obesity increases the
risk of advanced disease
and dying from prostate
cancer.—AP
Why your best
shot at beating it is
early detection
By Angela Pirisi
IT’S NOT SOMETHING men like to talk about—
their health. And they sure aren’t comfortable discussing potential problems “down there.” But in
recent years there’s been a push to bring prostate
cancer out of the closet so as to get men to both talk
about it and do something about it.
That’s why NFL Hall of Famer Mike Haynes is
on the offensive when it comes to raising prostate
cancer awareness among men. He says, “I am living
proof of the benefits of early detection. Thanks to a
screening conducted by the American Urological
Association [AUA] Foundation for retired players
two years ago, my disease was caught early when it
was most treatable.” Now, as a prostate cancer survivor, he has teamed up with the AUA Foundation and
the NFL to launch the “Know Your Stats” campaign
to raise awareness and acquaint men with prostate
cancer statistics.
While Haynes didn’t know it at the time, he
found out after his own diagnosis that one of his
grandfathers had died of prostate cancer. That made
him realize how vital it was to become proactive and
get educated about the disease. “I never thought I
could have prostate cancer,” says Haynes. “Since I’d
The Costco Connection
Adult incontinence products and over-the-counter and prescription medications for
prostate health are available in most Costco
warehouses and on Costco.com.
Pro Football Hall of Fame player Mike
Haynes (right) marks the introduction of the
PROSTATE Act of 2010 at a Know Your Stats
event on Capitol Hill with AUA Foundation
president Dr. Datta G. Wagle (left) and Sen.
Jon Tester (D-MT, center).
recently had a good physical, I thought I was in the
all clear. Thanks in part to that [prostate-specific
antigen, or PSA] test and the urologist that encouraged me to find out about my baseline PSA, my disease was caught early, when it was most treatable,
and my kids still have their father.”
A needle in a haystack?
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation
(PCF), one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Because prostate cancer
is typically slow-growing, it’s commonly believed
that men will die of something else, maybe even old
age, before it advances greatly. However, prostate
cancer is nothing to ignore. It’s the second most
common cause of death from cancer among men,
according to the American Cancer Society.
The size of a walnut, the prostate is a gland
located below the bladder; it partially wraps around
the urethra (the canal for urine flow) and produces
fluid that is part of semen. Finding prostate cancer in
its early stages can be challenging but worth the
effort. Currently, a blood test is used for early screening and detection that measures prostate-specific
antigen. The PSA test isn’t perfect, but it’s scoring big
points all the same.
“There are non-life-threatening varieties of this
disease, but there are some very aggressive types—
like I had—and it’s not just an old man’s disease. Men
are being diagnosed in their 40s and 50s,” explains
Dan Zenka, vice president of communications for
