Prostate Cancer Awareness Month: Everything You Need to Know

September has been designated National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month due to the fact that 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with this disease during his lifetime and it is anticipated that there will be nearly 200,00 new cases total in 2020. The good news is that when it’s detected early, prostate cancer is 99% treatable.

Early detection is the key to protecting your health and those of the men in your life, and the best way to do this is:

Understand Personal Risk Factors
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men (second only to lung cancer), but it is also the most treatable. While there are expected to be over 33,000 US deaths from prostate cancer, early detection can reduce this number. While prostate cancer screenings are important for all men aged 50 or older, those with certain risk factors should have their first screening by age 45.

These risk factors include:
• Family history
• Genetics
• Race
• Lifestyle
• Diet

It is important that you review these risk factors with your urologist to determine when to begin screening for prostate cancer.

Take Preventative Steps
While there is no full-proof method to protect against prostate cancer, there are many actions that you can take to reduce your risk.

These are:
1. Maintain a healthy weight. Eat fewer calories and get plenty of exercise to keep your weight within a healthy range.
2. Reduce red meat and dairy products. While you don’t need to eliminate these items from your diet, reducing the amount that you eat can help prevent prostate cancer and support your overall health.
3. Keep your calcium intake at or below 1,200 mg per day. Calcium is important to bone health but doses above the recommended daily allowance are linked to prostate cancer.
4. Eat more fish. Several studies have suggested that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish can help protect against prostate cancer.
5. Eat your vegetables. Tomatoes cooked in olive oil and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower are beneficial to your overall health. When eaten on a regular basis, they can help to reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
6. Avoid smoking and drink in moderation. Enough said.
7. Manage stress, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol levels and depression. Treating these conditions can protect your health and increase your life span in general and, when they are well managed, you can improve your survivorship if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Show Your Support
While prostate cancer is fairly prevalent in older men, few people want to discuss this disease, its risk factors, screening processes and treatments. This is why Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is so important to educate the public and encourage men to receive screenings. To help spread the word, the Prostate Cancer Foundation is providing free prostate cancer awareness wristbands to those who request them. It’s easy and a great way to encourage men to be safe and healthy.

Share Information with Others
Through the Prostate Cancer Foundation, you can receive a variety of printed materials that you can distribute to friends and family members or display in your office for guests or employees to take. These free materials are ready to display and may save someone’s life.

Prostate cancer is very treatable and survival rates are directly linked to early detection. If you are aged 50 or older, or have factors that place you in a higher risk for prostate cancer, please be screened for this disease. The physicians at Kasraeian Urology have extensive experience in screening, diagnosing and treating prostate cancer and are here to help. Please contact us today to schedule an appointment at the office location that is most convenient to you. Protect your health by receiving a prostate cancer screening soon.