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Prostate cancer doesn’t have to be fatal
Letter to the Editor
We expect this year we will see over 24,000 Canadian men die from prostate cancer (PCa). And the saddest part of this is that PCa doesn’t have to be fatal if it is caught early.
Advances in surgical and radiation treatments are available to help men get through this and many come through cancer-free.
Since there are often no symptoms, how do we catch it? The answer is a simple blood test – usually during a routine physical – to look for prostate specific antigen (PSA). A higher-than-normal PSA reading will show the need for further testing.
Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (PCFC) recommends PSA testing for men over 50. But they further say that if you are at a higher risk (family history of prostate cancer) you should be tested at age 40.
But early detection has become more difficult as many BC residents do not have a family doctor and are not getting regular annual check-ups. As men, we are not always our own best caregivers. But we need to learn to look after ourselves. Our goal should be to take the greatest advantage of our CPP and OAS earnings for as long as we can.
September is designated as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Canada.
PCFC has been encouraging folks across the country to light up their buildings and landmarks in blue during September. This is to remind men over 50 that getting checked for PCa is a good, life-saving thing to do.
The CN Tower in Toronto, the Big Fiddle in Sydney NS, the Riel Footbridge in Winnipeg, the Reconciliation Bridge in Calgary, Canada Place in Vancouver and our own Key City Theatre in Cranbrook will light up in blue during the Month of September. As will the homes of several prostate cancer survivors. So if you are out walking past the Key City Theatre, or you see a house lit up in blue, it is a reminder that you should look after your health. Blue lights in September is a reminder to ask some man you know what his PSA score is.
If you would like to know more about this cancer and what it means to those affected, Cranbrook has a support group that meets on the third Wednesday of every month at College of the Rockies, 7 p.m.
Kevin Higgins,
Cranbrook
