Last September, Larry Ball nearly walked by an opportunity that ended up saving his life.
He almost passed by a free prostate screening at Cabell Huntington Hospital because men had lined up for the brief medical exam. But the minutes Ball took to wait in line, fill out a few forms and have his blood drawn ended up leading him to a doctor's appointment that revealed cancer growing in his prostate.
"Regular checkups made it possible for me to be cured of cancer. I had no symptoms of prostate cancer, but the screening at Cabell Huntington Hospital helped me detect it. You owe it to yourself and your family to get tested," he said.
For the 18th year, the screening opportunity returns to Cabell Huntington Hospital this week as free prostate cancer screenings are scheduled at the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center on the Cabell Huntington Hospital campus from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m on Friday. The screening exams are free of cost and do not require an appointment.
"We want people to just show up," said Joy Pelfrey, director of Senior Services at Cabell Huntington Hospital. "Our goal is to get men here to get this very important screening done."
Louis Molina, MD, one of several urologists donating their time to perform the exams, said it is important for men to have the brief exam, especially if they are older than 50 or have a family history of prostate cancer.
"Prostate cancer has few, if any, symptoms until it has progressed outside of the prostate. A blood test and rectal examination can detect cancer early so it can be cured," Dr. Molina said.
James C. Jensen, MD; Rajendra Jain, MD; Tara Sharma, MD and Frank Richter, MD are also scheduled to perform the exams during the day.
A few days after last year's screening Ball received the results of his blood test. The results showed a slightly elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) score, which was cause for concern. He soon scheduled a doctor's appointment and his cancer was discovered.
"There were so many people at the event and I almost didn't go in," he said. "Going to the screening saved my life."
In 2006, more than 450 men took part in the screening, and 92 of those men had elevated blood test results, indicating an abnormal prostate, according to Joy Pelfrey. Another 37 patients during last year's screening had abnormal results from their rectal exams. Both of those findings could mean a more serious medical problem and should lead to a follow-up doctor's visit, Pelfrey said.
"Every year, we have found something in a patient that has saved his life," she said. "By the time you have a symptom from something like prostate cancer, it is usually in the advanced stages. It only makes sense to catch something like this in the beginning stages."
Ball's prostate cancer diagnosis led him to consider ways to fight the disease. At Cabell Huntington Hospital, he could undergo a variety of treatment options, including the robotic prostatectomy with the DaVinci Surgical System, which has been in place for a year at the hospital.
Having performed nearly 450 procedures with the daVinci Surgical System, urologist James Jensen, MD, is one of the country's most experienced robotic surgeons. At Cabell Huntington Hospital, he uses that ability to perform minimally invasive surgeries that result in short recovery times and usually cause little interruption to a patient's daily life schedule.
Ball scheduled his appointment in October 2006 and had his cancerous prostate removed by Dr. Jensen. "It was a very, very easy procedure for me to go through knowing that Dr. Jensen was that experienced and would know what to look for much quicker than other physicians who may have been trained but didn't have his experience," Ball said. He was able to return home a day after his surgery and quickly returned to his full-time job and energetic lifestyle.
"If you get it early, prostate cancer is very curable," Ball said. "Screen early and screen every year after you start. That can save your life."
Prostate cancer is a growing problem in the United States with an estimated 218,000 cases expected to be found this year and about 27,000 deaths from the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Often, men ignore the screenings because they are worried about the extent and length of the screening. In reality, the screening is quick and easy.
"This screening, and regular checkups, should be milestones in a man's life," Joy Pelfrey said. "All men are at risk and the longer you live, the higher your risk is of getting prostate cancer."
A screening does not necessarily mean that someone has prostate cancer, but Dr. Molina said it has become the most common form of prostate cancer diagnosis. Even an abnormal screening result does not always mean there is cancer; it simply means more testing should be done.
Symptoms of prostate cancer can take years to appear and once they do, it may indicate that the cancer has spread to other areas of a man's body.
According to the National Cancer Institute, Symptoms may include:
o Frequent urination, especially at night
o Inability to urinate
o Trouble with starting or holding back urination
o A weak or interrupted flow of urine
o Painful or burning
urination
o Blood in the urine or semen
o Painful ejaculation
o Frequent pain in the lower back, hips or upper thighs
7-day Archive
