IS
IS PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AND DEADLY CANCERS FOR MEN IN
THE UNITED STATES. FORTUNATELY
THE DEATH RATE FROM PROSTATE
CANCER HAS DECLINED IN RECENT
DECADES. YOU LARGELY BY EARLIER
DETECTION AND IMPROVEMENTS IN
TREATMENT. BUT WE HAVE LONG
WAYS TO GO HERE. WE HAVE
SCRIPTS DR. RAMDEV, A JEDI.
JOINING US NOW TO SHARE
THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING
SCREENED HERE, DOCTOR, SOME NEW
ADVANCEMENTS IN TREATMENTS WE
CAN ALSO TALK ABOUT HERE THIS
MORNING. I'M EXCITED FOR THIS.
THANKS FOR BEING ON THE SHOW.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME, ERIC. SO
LET'S GET INTO THIS.
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
SAYING PROSTATE CANCER THE MOST
COMMON AND DEADLY CANCERS FOR
MEN IN THE U.S. WHY EXACTLY IS
THAT FOR STARTERS? WELL, WE
DON'T ENTIRELY KNOW WHY. THERE
ARE A VARIETY OF REASONS FOR
SOME FOLKS. THERE ARE GENETIC
FACTORS. OTHERS THERE COULD BE
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. FOR
EXAMPLE, SOME OF OUR VIETNAM
AND KOREA VETERANS WHO WERE
EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE SEEM TO
BE AT HIGHER RISK. SOME CAN BE
LIFESTYLE FACTORS. WE DO KNOW
THAT CERTAIN DIETS THAT ARE
HIGH IN PROCESSED FOODS OR
OBESITY CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH
PROSTATE CANCER AS WELL. ONE
HUNDRED NINETY THOUSAND PLUS
NEW CASES EXPECTED TO BE
DIAGNOSED HERE IN 2020 AMONG
MEN. SO AGAIN THE SECOND MOST
COMMON CANCER AFTER SKIN CANCER
WE KNOW THIRTY THREE THOUSAND
DEATHS EXPECTED IN 2020 AMONG
MEN. SECOND LEADING CAUSE
CANCER AND DEATH AFTER LUNG
CANCER. I MEAN A LOT OF MEN
DYING FROM THIS. LET'S TALK
ABOUT SCREENING DOCTOR AND HOW
IMPORTANT THAT AS WELL
SCREENING IS IMPORTANT. I THINK
IN YEARS PAST WE HAD A TENDENCY
TO OVER SCREEN PEOPLE WHICH
ACCOUNTED FOR A LOT OF
THE DECREASED RATES IN DEATH
FROM PROSTATE CANCER BECAUSE
WE'RE IDENTIFYING THESE THINGS
EARLY. BUT UNFORTUNATELY A
CASUALTY THAT ISSUE IS THE FACT
THAT WE OVER DETECTED IT IN A
SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF
INDIVIDUALS. SO NOW THAT
PENDULUM IS SORT OF SWINGING IN
THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. WHAT
WE'RE TRYING TO BE MORE
THOUGHTFUL ABOUT
THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE DO
SCREEN BASED ON FAMILY HISTORY
,THEIR AGE, THEIR LIFE
EXPECTANCY AND OTHER THINGS
LIKE THAT, THEIR ETHNICITY ALSO
MATTERS. WHY DO YOU THINK MEN
HEAR THE WORD PROSTATE THERE? A
LOT OF IT JUST RUN FOR
THE HILLS, RIGHT? I MEAN WHAT
WHY? WHY IS THIS AN APPOINTMENT
SO MANY MEN ARE PUTTING OFF?
WELL, IT'S A VERY SENSITIVE
PART OF, YOU KNOW, THE MALE
BODY. IT'S INVOLVES SOMETHING
THAT IS VERY PERSONAL AND A LOT
OF PEOPLE ARE NOT NECESSARILY
COMFORTABLE EVEN TALKING ABOUT
IT, MUCH LESS HAVING IT
EVALUATED WITH ANY SORT OF
TESTS. BUT THERE'S A LARGER
ISSUE HERE TOO, RIGHT? PEOPLE
PUTTING OFF JUST MEDICAL
APPOINTMENTS IN GENERAL BECAUSE
OF THIS PANDEMIC. I MEAN I KNOW
YOU GOT ABSOLUTELY ZERO PEOPLE
IN THERE THAT YOU GUYS ARE SAFE
BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU'RE OPEN
FOR SCREENINGS AND CARE THERE
AT THE SCRIPTS M.D. ANDERSON
CENTER. THAT'S TRUE. AND SO
CERTAINLY AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE PANDEMIC WHEN THERE WAS A
LOT OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT HOW
THIS WOULD PLAY OUT AND THERE
WERE ISSUES RELATED TO LIMITED
RESOURCES AND HOSPITAL SYSTEM
AS IT RELATED TO PERSONAL
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND THINGS
LIKE THAT, THERE WAS SOME
DEGREE OF A SCALE BACK ON A
CASE BY CASE BASIS WITH
SURGERIES WHERE WE WERE DOING.
BUT WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK ALL
THE PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY TO
KEEP OUR PATIENTS SAFE WHO WERE
COMING IN FOR RADIATION
CHEMOTHERAPY. BUT NO DOUBT THAT
THIS PSYCHOLOGICALLY IMPACTED
INDIVIDUALS SUCH THAT THEY ARE
NOT NECESSARILY SEEKING
THE CARE THAT THEY MAY
OTHERWISE SEEK IN NON PANDEMIC
SITUATIONS. SIMPLY BECAUSE
THEY'RE NERVOUS ABOUT BEING OUT
ABOUT. BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY
THAT YOU KNOW, SCRIPTS
CERTAINLY AND I WOULD IMAGINE
MOST OTHER LARGE HEALTH SYSTEMS
ARE TAKING THE NECESSARY
PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP THEIR
PATIENTS SAFE. YOU GOTTA KEEP
YOUR HEALTH GOING. YOU TOUCHED
ON THE RISK FACTORS A LITTLE.
LET'S SAVE SOME LIVES HERE THIS
MORNING. I MEAN WHAT ARE
THE SIGNS AND THE SYMPTOMS FOR
DEVELOPING PROSTATE CANCER
PERHAPS PERHAPS SOMEONE AT HOME
IS HAVING SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT
THIS RIGHT NOW? WELL,
UNFORTUNATELY PROSTATE CANCER
IS MOST OFTEN A RELATIVELY
SILENT CONDITION UNTIL THINGS
BECOME SOMEWHAT ADVANCED IN
ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER.
PEOPLE CAN HAVE UNINTENTIONAL
WEIGHT LOSS, PAIN IN THEIR
BONES, BLOOD IN THEIR URINE
EARLY ON IT'S USUALLY NOT
DETECTABLE BY SYMPTOMS. BUT YOU
WANT TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE IN
YOUR FAMILY WHO MIGHT HAVE HAD
A HISTORY OF, OVARIAN AND
PANCREATIC, PROSTATE OR UTERINE
CANCER AS WELL AS CERTAIN
ETHNICITIES. WE WORRY A LOT
ABOUT MEN OF AFRICAN ETHNICITY
SCANDINAVIAN MEN, EUROPEAN
JEWISH MEN THOSE ARE THE THREE
GROUPS THAT WE WORRY MORE ABOUT
COMPARED TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS
AND WE DON'T ENTIRELY KNOW WHY.
BUT CERTAINLY IF YOU HAVE A
FAMILY HISTORY OR YOU ARE OF AN
ETHNIC GROUP THAT MIGHT BE AT
RISK. YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR
DOCTOR ABOUT SCREENING. WE PUT
UP SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS ON
SCREEN THERE TOO REAL QUICK.
GOT IT JUST UNDER A MINUTE
HERE. SO THIS GEL THAT'S OUT.
HOW IS THIS GEL HELPING EXPLAIN
THAT? WELL, A SUBSTANTIAL
PROPORTION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO
HAVE PROSTATE CANCER DO CHOOSE
TO GET RADIATION TO TREAT IT.
AND TYPICALLY WHEN WE GIVE
RADIATION TO THE PROSTATE,
THE BLADDER AND THE LIVE VERY
CLOSE TO THE PROSTATE. AND
THOSE TWO STRUCTURES CAN
RECEIVE SOME COLLATERAL
RADIATION. SO NOWADAYS WE'RE
PUTTING LIQUID SUBSTANCE IN
BETWEEN THE AND THE PROSTATE
THAT IMMEDIATELY SOLIDIFIES
INTO A GEL AND KEEPS THE OUT
OF THE WAY IS SUCH THAT WHEN WE
DELIVER RADIATION TO
THE PROSTATE THE IS SPARED.
AND THEN OVER THE COURSE OF
MONTHS THAT GEL DISSOLVES AND
EVERYTHING GOES BACK INTO
THE LOCATION WHERE PREVIOUSLY
WAS. THAT'S A REALLY CONVENIENT
THING. THERE ARE A LOT OF
REALLY EXCITING NEW
TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE TO
MINIMIZE OR MITIGATE THE RISK
OF ANY SIDE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED
WITH CANCER TREATMENT. IN THIS
CASE PROSTATE CANCER. DR.
CONNOR, JERRY, THANKS SO MUCH
FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING AND
IMPORTANT CONVERSATION AND MAKE