THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509150511
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 117 lines
Earl Files hadn't had a prostate test for years. But his grandfather, and then an uncle, died of the disease, so Files asked his doctor to check his prostate during a regular physical.
That request may have saved his life. And the experience convinced Files of one thing: You have to know about the risks, and you have to ask for information and help.
``If you don't ask the questions, nobody really pays that much attention,'' said Files, who had surgery and radiation treatment last year. ``Education is a hell of a thing.''
Since then, Files, a retired diesel mechanic who lives in Hampton, has allowed Sentara Health System to use his name and face in newspaper and television advertisements and spots, trying to get other African-American men to pay attention.
Sentara is running several free screenings in September and early October, and organizers are especially targeting African-American men. This weekend, Norfolk Community Hospital, a facility that serves primarily an African-American clientele, will offer its first health fair for men, with an emphasis on free prostate exams.
For reasons doctors don't understand, African-American males have a higher risk of prostate cancer than white men - about the same as for white men with a family history. Also, they tend to get it earlier and have more virulent cases than whites. They are more likely to die of the disease than whites.
The prostate is a gland in men that contributes to the fluid in semen. It sits below the bladder and wraps around the urethra, the tube through which urine flows. It can develop several problems later in life, including cancer.
In general, a white man has about a 1-in-11 chance of getting prostate cancer at some point in his life. For African Americans, the risk is about 1 in 9, said Donald F. Lynch, an associate professor of urology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and a partner in Devine-Fiveash Urology practice in Norfolk. For men like Files who have a family history, the risk is even higher.
For men at high risk - a group that includes all black men and whites with a family history of the disease - health experts recommend regular screening after age 40, said Lynch. Other men should start at age 50.
Prostate cancer is very rare in any race before age 40.
Early detection and treatment means a greater chance of survival, say health workers. Even so, African Americans tend to be diagnosed in a later stage of the disease than do white men.
Part of that discrepancy may be because they get the disease earlier. But health workers also say black men may not know enough about the risks. A study by Washington University Medical School in St. Louis found that, even after a suspicious blood test, black men were less likely than whites to return for follow-up screenings.
``They are not informed,'' said Sharon Moore, a Norfolk Community administrator who is in charge of the health fair. ``By the time they see their physician, the problem is out of control.''
And there are reasons why men of any race might avoid getting the tests. There are economic factors - the doctors' fee or the cost of taking time off from work.
Some complain about the physical exam, saying it's uncomfortable and invasive.
And there is the fear of one of the potential side effects of treatment: impotence. The risk of impotence varies greatly, depending on the age of the patient, the characteristics of his cancer and how much potency he had before the surgery.
In general, said Lynch, about half the men who have surgery for prostate cancer, and about 30 percent who have radiation treatment, lose some potency.
That's the bad news. The good news is that there are a lot of treatments now, including surgical implants, that can allow most men to have erections and ejaculations, said Lynch.
And men fearful of hearing the verdict should remember that many prostate problems aren't cancer. A variety of infections and conditions can cause similar symptoms, but can be treated easily, said Dorothy Price, nursing supervisor at Norfolk Community Hospital.
``There is naiveness,'' that men can't afford, said Files. ``Everyone you talk to, we've got an excuse. We've got an excuse for not checking this.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
Staff
Earl Files, 60, says family history led him to ask for a prostate
exam, and the request may have saved his life.
FREE SCREENINGS
Norfolk Community Hospital's free prostate cancer screening will
be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the hospital, 2539
Corprew Ave. The hospital also will offer free diabetes, blood
pressure and cholesterol tests. For information or an appointment,
call 628-1400 or 461-3200.
Sentara Health System, Eastern Virginia Medical School and the
Virginia Prostate Center will offer screenings at three locations:
Sept. 27 and 28 and Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
Sept. 27 and Oct. 10 at Sentara Careplex, 300 Coliseum Drive,
Hampton
Oct. 5 at Sentara Bayside Hospital, 800 Independence Blvd., Va.
Beach
The screenings are free for all men 50 years and older.
African-American men and white men with a family history of the
disease are eligible at age 40.
Appointments are required. Call 455-7500 or 1-800-SENTARA.
ABOUT THE TEST
A prostate screening usually consists of a blood test to look for
tell-tale chemicals, and a brief physical exam in which the doctor
inserts his finger a short way into the rectum to feel for bumps or
hardening of the prostate.
Symptoms, or a suspicious lump or blood test results, may
indicate problems other than cancer. Symptoms include frequent
urination, sometimes accompanied by pain or burning, or
incontinence. Or a man may have trouble urinating. Sometimes he may
feel pain around the scrotum or in the lower back.
by CNB