But please pass this on to your husband, boyfriend, brother, son, male friends, or anyone with a prostate!!!!
A male is diagnosed with prostate cancer every 2.9 minutes. Staggering information, I say!
1. Increasing age is a risk factor, as are family history, and ethnicity. African-American men are 1.65 times more likely to be diagnosed and 2.4 times more likely to die from the disease!!!
2. Can you believe one in 325 men under the age of 49 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer! So, it is not just an old man’s disease.
3. The prostate is small but mighty. Yes, it is shaped like a walnut, though small and often forgotten. But it is really important for regulating urine flow and producing semen.
4. Would you believe a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of prostate cancer? So, start walking, running, cycling, working out, and drop the cigs and red meat. A plant-based diet with limited animal products is a healthy diet. In other words, a heart healthy diet is a prostate healthy diet. Stop smoking!
5. Early detection is the key. Early stages have no symptoms, so the PSA lab test is key. The five year survival rate is greater than 99% when caught early. Talk to your doctor!!
6. Prostate cancer is common, as 190,000 new prostate cancer cases will be found. Or as many as lung and colorectal cancer combined!! It is the second leading cause of cancer death among American men, and is the most commonly diagnosed. Right now, there are 2.9 million American men who have been diagnosed!
7. Testing might be controversial, but is still necessary! Yes, false positives do happen. The PSA or Prostate Specific Antigen is a simple blood test. And the unpleasant and rather invasive DRE, or Digital Rectal Exam, is certain to cause some loss of dignity. Just find a physician will small hands!!!
8. Research for prostate cancer is funded actively by the Department of Defense. An annual summit brings together elected officials with advocates to educate them about the importance of funding research.
9. Yes, progress is being made, through new treatment options. As a result, the death rate from prostate cancer has decreased! Genomic testing has also become more important in determining the rate of the prostate cancer. And a more personalized treatment plan can be formulated.
10. You can help!!! Join your community events to raise awareness. Tell your friends to get tested. Talk to your physician about it. It is a disease that we can stop!!! Catch it early, live longer!!!
