Author: Dr. Dan Silverberg
I want to tell you about a man I saw in my office recently. To protect his identity and privacy, I will call him Ted and change a few of the details of his story.
Many of you know Ted. He runs a local restaurant. He greets you when you walk in, asks how you enjoyed your meal and bids you goodbye at the cash register as you leave. If you do not know Ted, you know someone very much like him. Ted is under 60, the father of three children, two in high school and one in college. He has worked long days all of his life to provide for his family. He is a pillar in his community.
Ted is not one to go to the doctor, particularly if he is not sick. Recently, Ted had his prostate checked. He had no symptoms at all, but his prostate exam was abnormal and his PSA level was about 90. It should be less than 4.0. Prostate biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Additional testing showed that the tumor had already spread throughout his body. Ted is under treatment now, and responding well, but his prostate cancer has a huge head start. His cancer is not curable, but we hope to be able to control it for a number of years.
As Ted and his wife left my office, shell-shocked after I broke the news to them, I asked myself, where was Ted five years ago? Where was Ted three years ago or even two years ago when we could have done so much more to help him? Where was Ted when we still had a chance to cure him?
Because prostate cancer has no early signs or symptoms, the only way to find the disease while it is still curable is to screen every man over the age of 50 annually. The screening includes a PSA blood test and a digital rectal exam. If Ted had been screened starting at age 50, his life would be much different now.
Many of you know Ted. He runs a local restaurant. He greets you when you walk in, asks how you enjoyed your meal and bids you goodbye at the cash register as you leave. If you do not know Ted, you know someone very much like him. Ted is under 60, the father of three children, two in high school and one in college. He has worked long days all of his life to provide for his family. He is a pillar in his community.
Ted is not one to go to the doctor, particularly if he is not sick. Recently, Ted had his prostate checked. He had no symptoms at all, but his prostate exam was abnormal and his PSA level was about 90. It should be less than 4.0. Prostate biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Additional testing showed that the tumor had already spread throughout his body. Ted is under treatment now, and responding well, but his prostate cancer has a huge head start. His cancer is not curable, but we hope to be able to control it for a number of years.
As Ted and his wife left my office, shell-shocked after I broke the news to them, I asked myself, where was Ted five years ago? Where was Ted three years ago or even two years ago when we could have done so much more to help him? Where was Ted when we still had a chance to cure him?
Because prostate cancer has no early signs or symptoms, the only way to find the disease while it is still curable is to screen every man over the age of 50 annually. The screening includes a PSA blood test and a digital rectal exam. If Ted had been screened starting at age 50, his life would be much different now.
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