Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time we talk about all the elephants in the room. Doctor to patient. September is not only Menopause Awareness Month, but it’s also a helpful reminder to get the men in your life to man up and get checked for Prostate Cancer.
According to the Center for Disease Control, women are 100 percent more likely to visit the doctor for annual examinations and preventive services than men. One hundred percent. It would be funny, but as a doctor, I know it’s not. Each year approximately 220,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 30,000 will die of it, so the subject is deadly serious.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and solidly supported by medical research, early detection is key for successfully treating prostate cancer. This is an especially important medical examination for men who are at hereditary risk or over 40.
A man with a father or brother who developed prostate cancer is twice as likely to develop the disease as those without a family history of the disease. The risk becomes even higher if the cancer was diagnosed in family members younger than 55 years of age, or if it affected three or more family members.
African American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer compared with Caucasian men and are nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the disease.
The older you are, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although only 1 in 10,000 men under age 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to 1 in 38 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 14 for ages 60 to 69. – Prostate Cancer Foundation –
More than 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65. The average age at diagnosis of prostate cancer in the United States is 69 years. After that age, the chance of developing prostate cancer becomes more common than any other cancer in men or women. – Prostate Cancer Foundation –
With stats like these, it’s time to #ManUp and #GetChecked. Call 480.619.4097 to schedule your appointment today.