Methodist West Prostate Cancer Screening Provides Vital Stats to Men in Katy
The Methodist Cancer Center at West Houston recently offered free prostate screenings to men in the Katy and West Houston communities. More than 120 men participated in the event.
“We are pleased to offer this health service to the community and delighted so many came in to see us,” says Kim Collins, Director of the cancer center. “Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin malignancy in men and, following lung cancer, is responsible for more deaths than any other type of cancer. Providing men access to vital health information, like that learned from PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels and physical exams, is essential to providing high quality, personalized services in cancer care.”
One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives; fortunately, the vast majority of them survive. According to Methodist urologist Dr. Wesley Ekeruo, an elevated PSA test result might indicate further testing is necessary.
“There is a range of normal values we look for, dependent on a man’s age” he says. “You’d expect to see higher levels in older men, but in a younger man, an elevated result is a trigger that alerts us to examine further. African Americans or those with a family history of prostate cancer are at higher risk, so testing is recommended at earlier ages for these men.”
While the PSA is the most common way to find prostate cancer, ten to twenty percent of cancers are found through a physical exam that allows a physician to feel abnormalities of the prostate gland through the rectal wall, according to Dr. John Boon, a Methodist urologist.
“Prostate cancer is a very curable disease when found early, but you can’t make treatment decisions until you find it, which is why we think it’s important to offer this screening as well.”
Dr. Wesley Maher, Dr. Gurjyot Doshi, Dr. David Kent and Dr. Ramesh Krishnan also assisted at the screening events. For more information, visit methodistwesthouston.com or contact the Cancer Center at 832-522-CURE (2873).
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