Urologist talks importance of prostate screenings

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the last in a continuing series of articles published in September relating the experiences men have had with prostate cancer, as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

Cassidy Kendall

The Sentinel-Record

CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs Urologist Dr. Renee Warford said there are fears and misconceptions when it comes to monitoring prostate health, but the only way to detect prostate cancer -- a common and often initial asymptomatic disease among men -- is through regular screenings.

"I think that there is some fear of patients not wanting to come and get their lab drawn and get their prostate examined, but I don't know if that's more the issue, or if it's that they are not aware they should be getting screened for prostate cancer," Warford said.

One fear some men have when it comes to monitoring prostate health, she said, is if they end up having to get their prostate removed they may experience erectile dysfunction.

"Men will hear if you get their prostate removed then there's a good chance you will have a problem with erections in the future, but that's not always the case as far as having your prostate removed," Warford said. "There is a portion of men who do have problems with erections, but that rate is actually getting better and better."

She said one of the biggest misconceptions of prostate cancer is that if it were to develop they would have symptoms, but that is not the case.

"People come in and say, 'Well I have no symptoms, I feel fine, I don't think anything is wrong,'" Warford said. "The problem with prostate cancer is that most men are asymptomatic from it."

All-in-all, there is nothing that can prevent the development of prostate cancer, so she reiterated the importance of getting regular screenings.

"There have been no supplements shown effective to preventing prostate cancer, so the most important thing is for every male between the age of 55 and 70 to talk with their physician about screening for prostate cancer," Warford said.

To encourage early screening for the disease, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson proclaimed September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Arkansas on Sept. 1 during a virtual Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation news briefing.

"Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths," Hutchinson said. "One out of every nine men in Arkansas will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. One out of every 41 men will die of the disease. African American men develop prostate cancer at a disproportionate rate, and are 2.6 times more likely to die from the disease. If caught early, though, the survival rate for prostate cancer is almost 100%.

"Talk with your health care provider about screening. Encourage your loved ones to go for screening; this can be as simple as getting blood drawn at an annual physical examination. That's an easy way to ensure you're on top of your prostate health. For the sake of your health, get a screening."

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