Longview Mayor Urges Men to Get Tested for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the United States.  That's a fact.

Since September is, or was, Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the mayor of Longview here in east Texas used the occasion to share his own experience with prostate cancer, to encourage other men to have their prostate checked for early signs of cancer.

Longview Mayor Jay Dean says he was diagnosed with prostate cancer during his annual physical back in May.  After studying his options, Dean chose to have robotic prostate surgery to remove his prostate.

Dean’s surgery was a success.  He says he up and walking a few hours after the surgery, and he was working out in his home gym again in just two weeks.

He says he now wants other men to understand the importance of prevention and early detection.  “If it’s caught early, prostate cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer,” Dean says.

“It’s all about early detection. The only way to detect is to have an annual exam. There comes a point in time in our lives it should be a routine part of our annual physical.”

There are two tests that are commonly used to detect prostate cancer — a simple blood test to measure prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels or a digital rectal exam in which the prostate gland is physically examined for size, shape, and hardness.

Cancer experts say screenings should begin at the age of 45 for most men, although race and family history could increase risk factors and screenings should begin sooner.

via Longview mayor encourages men to take prostate test - The Lufkin Daily News: Local & State.

In a letter to the editor of the Longview News-Journal, Dean wrote that he's sharing his story because he's on his way to full recovery.

Dean wants to use his experience "to urge and encourage all men to be vigilant in watching for the signs associated with this disease. It is curable 85 to 95 percent of the time if caught early.”

Here's a link to the full text of Dean's letter.

via An open letter from Longview’s mayor - Longview News-Journal: Opinion.