Awareness of prostate cancer could save your life, and ignoring it definitely won’t make it go away. In fact, according to urologist Des Moines Dr. Fawad Zafar, about 90 American men die every day from prostate cancer, which equates to 30,000 each year.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly identified cancer in males, with almost a quarter of a million diagnoses expected this year. There are 2.5 million people currently living with this disease, which is equal to the entire population of Chicago.
Urologist Des Moines urges men to face the possible existence of prostate cancer rather than having it sneak up unexpectedly. Prostate cancer typically has no obvious symptoms in its beginning stages, but if diagnosed early, patients have nearly a 100% chance of being alive 5 years later.
There are two easy ways your urologist Des Moines can check for early stage prostate cancer.
1. He can draw blood and run a simple test to check for elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).
2. He can perform a digital rectal exam (DRE). Yes, your urologist will stick his finger up into your rectum because that’s the area where the prostate is located. It’s definitely not a fun exam and it’s true that it can be uncomfortable, but it definitely beats the prospect of undetected prostate cancer!
Neither test requires any form of medication or radiation entering your body.
Interestingly, the letters from the two different tests – PSA and DRE – can be combined to form the words SPARED, meaning you have the tests done, thereby increasing your chances of being spared, or increase the chances of a cancer SPREAD by not having the tests performed.
If either of these tests comes back irregular, your doctor will order further steps, and your chances of beating prostate cancer (if you actually have it) immediately get better. So it’s worth a little discomfort, don’t you think?
Treatment of Prostate Cancer
Referred to by many as robotic surgery for prostate cancer, da Vinci Prostatectomy is a robot-assisted, minimally invasive surgery that is quickly becoming the preferred treatment for removal of the prostate following an early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
In fact, research reveals that da Vinci Prostatectomy may be the most effective and least invasive prostate surgery performed today.
If you would like testing for prostate cancer, call the office of urologist Des Moines Dr. Fawad Zafar today to schedule an appointment.