What to know about prostate cancer prevention

It is September 1st and September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and studies show the disease is the second most common type of cancer diagnosed in men. More staggering statistics, it's second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths among men. Lots of men hate going to the doctor, let alone getting that prostate exam or taking other preventative measures, but these steps could mean the difference between catching something early or being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Here to help guide us through this process is Dr. Kirk Tamandong, urologist and area medical director and chief of staff at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles. Thanks for joining us this morning. Good morning. Thank you. So when we say common, how common are we talking here? It's actually the second most common cancer in men in America after colon cancer and after lung cancer, I apologize, and in when it comes to cancer deaths, unfortunately it is actually the leading cause of cancer deaths in men in America. Why is that? The numbers are staggering. Over 300,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the U.S. Most men don't die of it, especially because of early screening now. Most men don't die of it, but it is actually very common. So because it's common, we we do recommend early screening. But it can be a serious diagnosis though if you're if if you are diagnosed. Absolutely, especially when diagnosed late. Early detection is key here with most cancers. I heard you earlier talk about lymphoma and leukemia with prostate cancer as well. Early diagnosis is key. When men are diagnosed late, unfortunately the treatment options are limited and that can cause to some more complications or potentially death. Yeah, it's interesting because we talk about that the exam and you know men get nervous about that prostate exam, but now that I go to my doctor every year like they don't even really do that anymore. There's there's other types of tests, right, that men can get to screen for prostate cancer. I'm glad you asked that. Actually, prostate-specific antigen is a blood test that can detect early prostate cancer. Ah. Prostate examination is something that I recommend as a urologist for men with family history. However, not wanting to get an exam should not be a reason not to get screened. A PSA, prostate-specific antigen blood testing, is an easy test to also screen for. The key thing is not letting the exam scare men away from getting screened for prostate cancer. Right, because think of the alternative, right? What are some of the early warning signs of prostate cancer? Excellent question. Prostate cancer, unlike lymphoma we were talking about earlier, is a silent disease, unfortunately. It doesn't have signs or symptoms. By the time men detect, you know, signs or symptoms, weight loss or pain in the bones and whatnot, unfortunately has traveled, metastasized to other organs. That's why I recommend early detection. Here at Kaiser Permanente, we recommend all men starting age 50 get an annual prostate-specific antigen PSA test. And what if you have a family history? Is it the same age? It's actually a family history increases the risks of prostate cancer. If your brother had, if a man's brother had prostate cancer, they have three times likelihood of developing prostate cancer in their lifetime. If a father had prostate cancer, their sons have twice the risks of developing prostate cancer. Black men, black ancestry also has about a 1.6 times increased chances of developing prostate cancer. So we recommend black men and men with family history, especially brother or father with prostate cancer, to start getting screening tests at age 45. Actually, well, that really like brought some alarm bells to me. My twin brother actually had it and he dealt with the prostate cancer too. And it was treated, was treated for it. So that's like with, I'm acutely aware of it. And every year I test over and over again. But tell us about the treatment options now for men, especially if you're, if detected early, there are, there are many options out there when it's diagnosed early treatment. The options are actually very good. The two main stays of treatment in younger men are surgery, a robotic assisted radical prostatectomy, or radiation therapy. In frail elderly men, we actually many times recommend active surveillance or watchful waiting. So not all men need treatment. Depending on risk benefits of the treatment, that should be really discussed with a urologist, with, with a patient's doctor. However, today treatment options are good enough that majority of men, like your twin brother, are cured actually when it's diagnosed early. And that's the important thing about September. It creates stories like yours to come out, like your twin brother's story to come out, and hopefully cause other men to think about getting early screening testing done. What are the, the side effects of common treatments for prostate cancer, like surgery or radiation? Good question. Again, I want to reiterate, when diagnosed early, when treatment options are more, like such as radiation or treatment, the chances of side effects are also lower, especially in young, younger men. They do much better. Here at Kaiser Permanente, for instance, we're able to do surgery on men and send them home same day. Majority of patients come in, get an operation, are able to go home same day, and return to work usually within a few weeks. The most common side effects that most men worry about are urinary incontinence, urinary control, and sexual dysfunction. Both of those can be temporary, and most men are, and most men are able to recover from it. Again, especially when it's diagnosed early. When cancer is diagnosed later, prostate cancer, that's when the surgery needs to be more comprehensive, and other treatments like radiation therapy, other things can cause two more side effects. So, final word here, doctor. Really, it's, we say this all the time, but early detection is key, right? Get tested. Absolutely, and that's why I hope your brother's doing very well. He's doing well, he's doing well, and I'll get tested. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. My pleasure. Thank you.