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Early Detection: A Prostate Cancer Survival Strategy

Experts Debate Over Early Detection

Although the trend shows that the incidence of prostate cancer among African American men declined during the period of 1999-2007, black men still had the highest incidence rate for prostate cancer, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study. What is also troubling is that in 2007, the date that the latest statistics are available, black men were more likely to die from prostate cancer than any other group. White men had the second highest rate of deaths from prostate cancer, followed by men who are Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander.

The CDC states there is no scientific consensus on effective strategies to reduce the risk of prostate cancer and that there is no agreement on the effectiveness of screening or that the potential benefits outweigh the risks.

Au contraire, about five years ago, I produced a television show, Protecting Your Prostate Health, and the guests were real clear that early detection saves lives. Thomas Farrington, President and Founder Prostate Health Education Network, in Waltham, Massachusetts and a prostate cancer survivor; and Dr. Faina Shtern, president and CEO of AdMeTech Foundation, are strong advocates of early detection.

Dr. Shtern believes that prostate cancer is a "public health disaster" among African American men. She described emerging scientific data indicating that image-guided early detection may save lives, and that image-guided treatment can control prostate cancer, as well as radical surgery, while drastically reducing complications and costs. Both experts are pushing the U.S. Congress to fund research and education to advance prostate cancer diagnostics. They agreed that the need for reliable blood or urinary tests for mass screening and medical imaging technologies for improved early detection and treatment is critical.

Last modified onSunday, 24 August 2014 19:58
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