Survey finds docs don't talk to men about prostate

June 15, 2001

By Mulvihill

NEW YORK, Jun 11 (Reuters Health) - Doctors are only talking to one in two

men about prostate cancer, the second-leading cancer killer in men. What's

more, it seems that some men could use the talk, as one in five report not

knowing who exactly has a prostate, according to results of a new survey

conducted by Men's Health Magazine

" People in healthcare hear a lot about prostate cancer and may take it for

granted that most men are informed about [the disease], " said Ted Spiker,

the articles editor at Men's Health.

Cancer of the prostate, a small gland located in the male reproductive

system, is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American men after

lung cancer. More than 180,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be

diagnosed this year and nearly 32,000 men will die from the disease.

One thousand men aged 18 or older were interviewed by telephone between

April 30 and May 9 of this year. The survey results are published in the

July/August issue of Men's Health.

" Doctors are talking to one out of two male patients about prostate cancer

and are not recommending testing in about a third of males with increased

risk, " the survey indicates.

Currently, the American Cancer Society recommends that men aged 50 and over

be offered a rectal exam and prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to detect

prostate cancer.

While it is known that African Americans and those with a family history of

the disease are at increased risk, many men may overlook the fact that

eating a high-fat diet and being over age 65 can also increase their risk.

Most alarming, however, is the fact that " a lot of men say that their

doctors don't talk to them about their prostate and three-quarters of men

say they haven't heard of a PSA test, " Spiker told Reuters Health.

PSA is a protein found in blood that, when elevated, could be a sign of

cancer. Men with a very low PSA test can have another PSA test and a digital

rectal exam, a physical examination of the prostate, every 1 to 3 years. Men

with normal but slightly elevated PSA levels should be retested every year.

" We want men to be more aware of important health issues and to talk to

their doctors about possible tests and prevention, " Spiker concluded.

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