HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois
O’Fallon, IL -(Effingham Radio)- Al Roker’s recent diagnosis of prostate cancer has put this disease—and testing for it—back in the spotlight.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), about 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. For African American men, the number is even higher—1 in 7.
Prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in American men. Still, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer won’t die from it. That’s because prostate cancer is often very slow-growing, and men who get it are more likely to die of something else.
Finding prostate cancer
Most prostate cancers are diagnosed as a result of screening with either a digital rectal exam or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. Prostate cancer usually doesn’t cause symptoms in its early stages.
PSA in the blood is measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). The likelihood of having prostate cancer rises with the PSA level. But there is no firm number that indicates prostate cancer. Some, but not all, doctors use a cutoff point of 4 ng/mL or higher when deciding whether a man should undergo further testing.
If your doctor suspects prostate cancer, the most likely next step is a prostate biopsy, in which small samples of prostate tissue are removed and sent to a lab for analysis.
Staging and treating the cancer
If the biopsy results don’t show cancer, you may not need further testing for now. But if the biopsy results indicate cancer, the next step is determining what grade the cancer is. Almost all cancers are grade 3 or higher. The highest grade is 5.
Prostate tumors usually have different areas within them with different grades. To score the cancer, a doctor takes the two areas that make up most of the cancer and assigns a grade to each area. These two grades are added up to give a Gleason score.
The first number is the grade that makes up most of the cancer. If a Gleason score is written as 3+4=7, for example, it means that most of the tumor is grade 3 and a smaller area is grade 4. And the tumor in its entirety is a grade 7.
Cancers with a Gleason sore of 6 or less are considered low-grade tumors. Gleason scores of 8 to 10 are considered high-grade tumors.
If a prostate cancer is small and low-grade, a doctor might suggest actively monitoring it to see if it grows. Other treatment options include:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- A combination of the above
It’s important to thoroughly review all treatment options with your doctor.
Screening recommendations
The ACS recommends that men work with their doctors to make an informed choice about getting screened with a PSA test. This discussion should occur at:
- Age 50 for men at average risk for prostate cancer who are expected to live at least 10 more years.
- Age 45 for men at high risk. This includes African American men and men with a father or brother diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 65.
- Age 40 for men at higher risk. This includes men with more than one first-degree relative who was diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age.
“While most cases of prostate cancer are slow-growing, it is still important to get screened for prostate cancer at the recommended age,” said Dr. Thu. “The objective of testing is to identify any cancers that may be a high risk for spreading and to treat it early before it has ability to spread.”
Dr. James Thu is a Urologist at HSHS Medical Group Multispecialty Care – St. Elizabeth’s in O’Fallon and sees patients at HSHS Medical Group Urology Specialty Clinic – Edwardsville. Dr. Thu is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment with him, call 618-641-5803.
About HSHS Medical Group
HSHS Medical Group is the physician organization of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). Launched in 2009, HSHS Medical Group is a critical component of the HSHS Care Integration strategy, which focuses on bringing physicians, technology and patients together to improve the overall health of our communities. Today, HSHS Medical Group is comprised of over 1,300 colleagues in locations throughout central and southern Illinois. HSHS Medical Group is powered by the Franciscan history of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and our faith-based identity led us to the single most important tenet of the HSHS Medical Group philosophy — patient-first care. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit HSHSMedicalGroup.org.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.
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