News
Beebe Offers Free Prostate Cancer Screenings
08/09/06
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. One out of every six men will get prostate cancer. Yet, if their cancer is detected and treated early, most of them will survive.
During September, National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Beebe Medical Center will draw attention to this disease by offering free prostate cancer screenings. The screenings will take place Monday, September 11, and Wednesday, September 20, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Tunnell Cancer Center. Beebe Medical Center urologists will be volunteering their time to do the screenings. Appointments are required and must be made by calling 645-3100, ext. 4171.
The chances for long-term survival with a good quality of life increase when the diagnosis of prostate cancer is made before the cancer spreads outside the prostate gland, said Kay Malone, Community Health Nurse Coordinator for Beebe Medical Center.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), men should get a prostate-specific antigen blood test (PSA) and digital rectal exam (DRE) yearly beginning at age 50. Men at high risk should begin testing at age 45. Men at high risk include black men and men who have a close relative (father, brother, or son) who had prostate cancer before age 65. Men at even higher risk (because they have several close relatives with prostate cancer at an early age) could begin testing at age 40. Depending on the results of the first tests, they might not need more testing until age 45.
The ACS's statistics show that overall 99 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer survive at least five years. Further, 92 percent survive at least 10 years, and 61 percent survive at least 15 years. Ninety percent of all prostate cancers are found while they are still within the prostate, or only in nearby areas. The five-year relative survival rate for these men is nearly 100 percent. For the men whose cancer has already spread to distant parts of the body when it is found, 34 percent will survive at least five years.
Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org.
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