Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

You might be surprised to learn that over 80 percent of men know little to nothing about prostate health. A startling statistic considering there are many different kinds of prostate problems a man can experience. Cancer is just one potential prostate health concern, other important issues to watch for include:

* Benign prostatic hyperplasia: a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate that can cause difficulty urinating
* Prostatitis: an inflammation of the prostate gland
* Erectile dysfunction: the inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection
* Urinary incontinence: the inability to control urination

For one week this month the Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC) will be coordinating Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW), which provides free or low-cost screenings to thousands of men across the United States.

Prostate problems are common in men age 40 and older, but I advise all men to pay attention to the signs and symptoms of these prostate conditions.

Get checked for these conditions as part of your yearly prostate cancer screening. When it comes to your health, early detection is always best.

Although prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer among American men, it is also one of the most treatable. But if you don’t know you have the disease, how can you begin to treat it?

Since screening is crucial to saving lives, we recommend that all men over the age of 45 years and high risk males over the age of 40 years – including those with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men who are twice as likely to develop the disease – get screened for prostate cancer yearly.

To find a PCAW screening site near you and for more information on prostate cancer, please visit www.prostateconditions.org or call toll free 866-4PROST8.

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