FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Prostate cancer makes up 30% of male cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. It is the most common cancer diagnosis among men in the U.S.
“In urology, we struggled for a long time with men not wanting to go see the doctor,” said Dr. Bhavin Patel, a urologist with Kaiser Permanente in Fresno. “They need a push. Sometimes, they need a shove to come in and see us to get screened and to make sure we’re taking care of their health.”
A new report from the American Cancer Society found that the incidence of prostate cancer went up 3% annually from 2014 to 2021, despite declining from 2007 to 2014.
“COVID really put us behind because a lot of people didn’t come in to see us,” said Dr. Patel. “I think we’re seeing the impact of that on prostate cancer and catching prostate cancer as an advanced disease.”
The report also found wide disparities in African American and Native American men. Researchers say mortality rates for Black men were two times higher compared to wthose of hite men. Native American men were also found to have a higher mortality rate by 12%.
Doctors say family history and barriers to health care can also play a role.
“There’s a big population of people who don’t have access to care, who don’t think that it’s important to get screened,” said Dr. Patel. “These are the patients that we worry about the most.”
It’s estimated that there will be over 310,000 new cases of prostate cancer this year. That’s why doctors are urging men over 50 to get screened.
“The main part of the screening is actually the simple blood test, right? Getting one blood test once a year is the start,” said Dr. Patel.
But if you’re in that high-risk group, health experts recommend starting screening at 45.
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