Cancer Diagnosis

Prostate cancer diagnosis allows choices for columnist
Nov. 24, 2008 10:44 AM
Perhaps because I was an academic researcher, my initial response was not one of "Why me?"
I did every thing that I could to stay in shape - eat the right foods, take the right supplements. But the fact of the matter is, prostate cancer can hit every man if he doesn't die from something else.
My cancer doesn't cause me to fear that my life is over. I have a 3 percent cancer in the For me, it's time to face what to do next.
What are my options? I can do nothing, or find a treatment that works best for me. From the time of diagnosis to a visit last week with a Mayo Clinic urologist, I had time to think it over.
No one can make the decision for you. As I did, you have to weigh the available options.
You also can listen to what your friends did when they confronted the issue. Five had the traditional radical prostatectomy, two the robotic procedure, one had radiation implants and other had the proton treatment. All treatments had their pros and cons.
Surgery and other treatments might leave you with some incontinence and erectile dysfunction that can last for a year or more. Permanent problems can occur, but the outlook is better every day. Again, for me, these were less of a concern than getting rid of the cancer first. Later, I will face what comes after.
So what did I decide to do? I selected the less invasive robotic procedure by a physician who already has completed more than 500 such surgeries, as well as more than 1,200 radical prostatectomies.
Men are advised to get a regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and digital rectal examination (DRE) after age 50. Do you? As unpleasant as it might be, I've been faithful in getting the examinations. Hence, I got an early diagnosis.
What does your physician look for in the examination? The PSA blood results will provide a number from 0 to the thousands. It's not uncommon for patients with advanced prostate cancer to have high PSA levels.
Fortunately, diagnostic procedures have improved over the years, so urologists look for more than a high number. They look at the fluctuation of the score. Does it go up and down over time?
I was fortunate that my physician and urologist both felt that the fluctuation in my PSA warranted an ultrasound and biopsy. Over a period of 18 months, my PSA went from 4.1 to 3.9 to 4.1. I'm thankful that they made the recommendation.
There will be a column after my surgery, so I can share my experiences.
William Arnold is a professor emeritus at Arizona State University. Reach him at william.arnold@asu.edu.
Just the facts
• Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that 28,660 men in the U.S. will die of prostate cancer in 2008.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2008 about 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. About one male in every six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only one in 35 will die of it.
• The American Cancer Society recommends that both the PSA and DRE should be offered annually, beginning at age 50. Men at high risk, such as African-Americans and men with a strong family history of the disease, should begin testing at age 45.
Source: American Cancer Society
On the Web
For information about prostate cancer, visit:
• www.mayoclinic.com/health/prostate-cancer/DS00043/DSECTION=symptoms
• www.prostatecancerfoundation.org