THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 23, 1994 TAG: 9409210111
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 1B EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Vital Signs
SOURCE: Pam Starr
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
PROSTATE CANCER has nudged lung cancer from its No. 1 position as the most common kind of cancer found in men.
It's also the second most common cause of death from cancer in men.
The American Cancer Society says that 165,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed - 3,400 in Virginia - in 1993, as opposed to 32,000 cases in 1963. And it is expected to increase a whopping 90 percent between 1985 and 2000.
But prostate cancer is curable when found early, said urologist Steve Warden, in private practice with Urologist/Oncologist of Virginia Beach. New detection techniques such as the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and prostatic ultrasound have helped doctors find and treat early prostate cancer successfully with radiation, surgery or hormone treatment.
So Warden was dismayed last week after a story from the Chicago Tribune reported that prostate screening hurts more than it helps. The article quoted a team of researchers from the Journal of the American Medical Association as saying that, according to statistical probability analysis, prostate screening does not add many more days to a man's life expectancy.
``That was an interesting preliminary study that tried to tackle the question `does screening work?' '' said Warden. ``The PSA has only been out six to eight years and it's going to take 10-15 years to see if it makes any difference.
``The problem is that those researchers only looked at a one-time screening evaluation,'' he added. ``The article was of interest, but it's not of much help.''
Warden is one of several doctors who will be offering free prostate screenings, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society, at Virginia Beach General Hospital next week. The doctors will perform digital rectal examinations and PSA blood tests. The PSA blood test is ``excellent, even though there are limitations to it,'' he said. If a man is found to have an elevated PSA level plus an abnormal rectal exam, an ultrasound may be recommended.
``On average, we will find prostate cancer in 2 out of every 100 men we test,'' he said. ``It depends on age and other factors.''
The first symptom of prostate cancer is usually difficulty in urinating and getting up at night to urinate, said Warden. Other symptoms include painful urination, inability to urinate, urinary frequency, urgency or hesitation, blood in the urine, painful ejaculation and pain in the lower back, hips or upper thighs.
``Early prostate cancer has no symptoms,'' he warned. ``The symptoms associated most with prostate cancer occur when the disease is advanced.''
Warden recommends that men over the age of 50 have a prostate screening every year, and men who have a family history of the disease start at the age of 40 to 45. African-American men have a higher rate of prostate cancer and should begin yearly screenings at the age of 45, he added.
``Once spread, prostate cancer is incurable,'' said Warden.
Free prostate cancer exams will be offered at Virginia Beach General Hospital's Radiation Oncology Dept. on Sept. 26, 27, 28 and 29 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. To register, call 481-8888.
DID YOU KNOW THAT HEART DISEASE is the leading cause of preventable death in Virginia?
That means you have a choice in the matter. Lowering your risk of heart disease can be achieved through behavioral and diet modification such as low fat eating, smoking cessation, regular exercise and blood pressure control.
But many people just don't know how or where to start, according to Pat Davidson, senior health educator for the city's Health Department. That's why the Health Department has begun a needs assessment in the community to see what people's barriers are to getting help. It's called the Virginia Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Program and the Comprehensive Health Promotion Program.
In the next two months public health nurses hope to enlist the help of residents - with and without heart disease - from a variety of backgrounds, races and income levels to find out why they are or are not using heart disease prevention programs.
``We're trying to set up a focus group where they can sit for an hour or so and answer these questions,'' said Davidson. ``We want to know why someone doesn't get their blood pressure checked. Why don't they know that heart disease prevention programs are available?''
The Health Department has contacted churches, community organizations and civic leagues to help spread the word but it needs more participants for the program. If you would like to take part, call nurses Deborah Batakis at 427-8123 or Charlene Learner at 427-8122.
THIS SUMMER THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT discontinued travel and overseas immunizations because so few residents came to the clinic to get them, said nurse manager Angela Savage. Only about eight residents a week received those immunizations.
``There were no budget cuts,'' said Savage. ``After evaluation of service delivery in the community we decided that the private sector could offer more times. Because of our other services, we had fairly restrictive times we could do the shots.''
The places which now offer those shots include Patient First on Holland Road and any Sentara Medical Care Center. The Health Department still provides the yellow fever vaccine, said Savage, because ``you have to be a special licensed center to administer that shot.'' She wants people to know, too, that the health district is ``very focused'' on childhood and adult immunizations.
``We give flu shots here but the vaccine won't be released by the manufacturer until mid-October,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
``On average, we will find prostate cancer in 2 out of every 100 men
we test,'' Dr. Steve Warden, a urologist, said.
by CNB