Men aged 50 and older are at risk for prostate cancer, and the risk increases with age, with the average age being 72. African-American men, who for reasons still unknown have the highest prostate cancer incidence rate in the world, should start annual screenings at age 40, as should men with a family history of prostate cancer. Free early detection screening tests will be offered by Urologists at Jackson Hospital, one of more than 500 sites across the country conducting screenings during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, September 20 - 24. The screenings, free to men aged 50 to 70, consist of two exams that take about one minute each to perform. To schedule an exam, call 293-8888.
Appointments are limited, so call now.
There are usually no symptoms in early prostate cancer, which is extremely difficult to detect without testing. In fact, screenings have proven to be the only reliable method of identifying the disease in its curable stages. Approximately 179,300 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and 37,000 will die from it. Over the last decade, the number of deaths from prostate cancer has almost doubled.