Health Fair Screening Pays Off
Yesterday morning my spouse's high school friend, John, had prostate cancer. By afternoon he didn't — at least we hope the prostatectomy did the trick.
John found out he might have something to worry about when he got his PSA level checked last fall at a booth at the Texas state fair. He didn't think he needed the test (he's only 38), but he figured he'd encourage his dad to get tested if they went together. His dad tested normal, but John's results showed a slightly elevated level of prostate specific antigen.
Then in the winter, John approached a booth at another health fair and found that his PSA level was even higher. He took both results to his physician and learned he had a problem.
Prostate cancer is typically a slowly progressing disease of older men. Few studies have followed the condition in younger men, though, so John's providers recommended aggressive treatment. Suspecting that brachytherapy, implanting tiny radioactive pellets, would wear off while John was still relatively young, they planned for surgery.
John was doing fine last night, and his family is thankful the disease was diagnosed when it was. The next time you have the opportunity to volunteer some time at a health fair, please do it. It matters.