>>VIC MICOLUCCI: HELPING YOU LIVE HEALTHY THIS MORNING. A BLOOD TEST USED TO DETECT
PROSTATE CANCER MAY BE MORE
EFFECTIVE THAN PREVIOUSLY
THOUGHT. PROSTATE CANCER IS
THE SECOND-LEADING CAUSE OF
CANCER DEATHS IN MEN ACROSS
THE COUNTRY JUST BEHIND LUNG
CANCER. THAT’S ACCORDING TO
NUMBERS FROM THE AMERICAN
CANCER SOCIETY. JOINING US
THIS MORNING TO TALK ABOUT THE
SIGNIFICANCE BEHIND THIS DATA.
DOCTOR, BARRETT, MCCORMICK, A
UROLOGIC ONCOLOGIST WITH
BAPTIST MD ANDERSON CANCER
CENTER. GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR
HAVING ME.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: ABSOLUTELY.
SO, DOCTOR, THIS DATA IS
PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR 4 BLACK
MEN. EXPLAIN THAT. WHAT DOES
THAT MEAN?
>> WELL, YOU ONE OF THE
BIGGEST ISSUES WITH PROSTATE
CANCER SCREENING IS THAT WE
KNOW THERE’S A RISK OF OVER
DIAGNOSIS AND OVER TREATMENT
IN MEN IN GENERAL AND SOME OF
THE PREVIOUS STUDIES THAT HAVE
LOOKED AT THIS HAVE LED TO
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A
NATIONAL STANDPOINT THAT HAVE
REALLY DISCOURAGED PROSTATE
CANCER SCREENING. AND WE KNOW
THIS IS THAT NEGATIVE
IMPLICATIONS. THE NEW U.S.
STUDY THAT HAS COME OUT HAS
LOOKED AT ABOUT 30 YEARS WORTH
OF DATA AND HAS ACTUALLY SHOWN
A VERY SIGNIFICANT THAT WAS
PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN REGARDING
SCREENING FOR PROSTATE CANCER
IN ALL MEN. BUT A PARTICULAR
IMPORTANCE IN THE AFRICAN
AMERICAN POPULATION. WE KNOW
THAT AFRICAN AMERICANS
GENERALLY SPEAKING HAVE AN
INCREASED LIFETIME RISK OF
DEVELOPING PROSTATE CANCER AND
ABOUT A 2 TIMES THE RISK OF
DEATH COMPARED TO AND SO THIS
IS VERY, VERY WHEN WE LOOK AT
THAT POPULATION IN PARTICULAR.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: AND LET’S
TALK ABOUT SCREENINGS BECAUSE
EARLY PREVENTION EARLY
INTERVENTION, WHAT TYPES OF
SCREENINGS ARE AVAILABLE FOR
PROSTATE CANCER.
>> RIGHT QUESTIONS. SO
CONVENTIONAL SCREENING IS THE
USE OF A BLOOD TEST CALLED
PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN OR
PSA. THIS TO BE DONE EITHER
THROUGH A PATIENT’S UROLOGIST
OR THROUGH HIS PRIMARY CARE
OFTENTIMES THAT’S A COMPANY BY
A PROSTATE EXAM THAT CAN BE
DONE IN THE OFFICE VERY AT OUR
CENTER AND OTHER UROLOGISTS
ARE ALSO DOWN 4 RATING, THE
USE OF MRI TECHNOLOGY. AND
THERE ARE SOME OTHER BLOOD
TESTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE AS
WELL. BUT CONVENTIONAL
SCREENING IS A PSA ON DIGITAL
RECTAL EXAMINATION.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: AND WHAT DO
YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO IS
PUSHING OFF GETTING THAT
PROSTATE SCREENING? A LOT OF
PEOPLE YOU KNOW WHAT, I’M NOT
THERE YET. I CAN DEAL WITH
THAT LATER. MAYBE NEXT YEAR.
>> GUIDELINES RECOMMEND THAT
MEN WHO ARE AT AVERAGE RISK
FOR PROSTATE CANCER SHOULD
START HAVING DISCUSSIONS WITH
THEIR PHYSICIAN ABOUT THE AGE
OF 55. THOSE MEN THAT WE KNOW
THAT ARE INCREASED RISK SUCH
AS THE AFRICAN AMERICAN
POPULATION IN THAT MIGHT HAVE
A BROTHER, A FATHER THAT WERE
DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER
SHOULD PROBABLY START A LITTLE
BIT EARLIER THAN THAT. I SAY
TO ALL MY PATIENTS THAT
PROSTATE CANCER IS VERY, VERY
HIGHLY TREATABLE. AND IN A LOT
OF SITUATIONS, IT’S VERY
HIGHLY CURABLE. BUT WE HAVE TO
FIND IT TO BE ABLE TO TO DO
THAT AND SO DELAYING
SCREENING, PUTTING IT
POTENTIALLY PUTS PATIENT AT
RISK OF DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS
FROM THAT. AND SO I’M A BIG
BELIEVER IN AND WE’RE HAPPY TO
SEE PATIENTS HERE JUST TO HELP
WITH SCREENING TALK TO
PATIENTS ABOUT THEIR VERY,
VERY IMPORTANT. AND IT COULD
VERY EASILY SAVE THEIR LIVES.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: OBVIOUSLY,
SCREENING AND EARLY
INTERVENTION IS CRITICAL. BUT
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT PEOPLE
SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR THAT
SOMETHING’S NOT RIGHT. AND
THEY NEED TO GO SEE A DOCTOR
RIGHT AWAY
>> YOU KNOW, THAT’S ONE OF THE
REALLY SCARY THINGS ABOUT
PROSTATE CANCERS, THAT IT’S
ONE OF THOSE THAT TYPICALLY
DOESN’T HAVE SYMPTOMS
ASSOCIATED WITH IT. AND SO WE
USUALLY DO FIND IT THROUGH
SCREENING TESTS IN SOME
SITUATIONS. AS MEN GET OLDER,
THEY MAY HAVE URINARY CHANGES
THAT CAN INCLUDE A WEEK STREAM
GETTING UP AT NIGHT FREQUENCY,
THINGS OF THAT NATURE. BUT IN
A LOT OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT’S
NOT RELATED TO CANCER AT ALL.
IN ANY RESPECT OF PATIENTS ARE
HAVING THOSE SYMPTOMS THAT YOU
RECOMMEND, THEY DISCUSS IT
WITH THEIR DOCTOR THAT MIGHT
LEAD TO ADDITIONAL SCREENING.