Health Tips

Not every prostate cancer harbors the same characteristics. Some grow rapidly and quickly form metastases. Others grow so slowly that they go unrecognized for many years. These differences have made it difficult for physicians to determine when and how prostate caner can be detected with the greatest efficiency.

Currently, the American Cancer Society recommends that all men over 50 get an annual screening test for prostate cancer. The oldest screening test available to the physician is the digital rectal examination (DRE). When a man gets a DRE he permits the physician to insert a gloved finger into his rectum. In this way the physician can feel the prostate and can discover whether or not the patient’s prostate holds any abnormal growths.

A second method used to screen for prostate cancer uses diagnostic test kits that allow a rough measurement of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) level in a patient’s blood sample. PSA is a protein that scientists now know to be secreted by prostate cancer cells. An elevated PSA does not always mean that a man has cancer, but it does signal that man’s physician that the patient with the high PSA level should be scheduled for a biopsy of his prostate gland. Examination of a biopsy sample, in combination with the observations made by the physician, can be used to determine the best method for treating any prostate tumor that is discovered during the screening process.

Once your physicians discloses the fact that your test results have signaled the detection of prostate cancer, then you, as the patient need to make some decisions. You need to talk with your physician, and together you two must determine your best treatment option. Once you have chosen the treatment method you want to use, then you must determine whether or not you are going to continue to work while undergoing treatment.

In the case of surgery, you must obviously take some time-off from work. If you have chosen to use radiation, vaccines or hormone therapy, then you must prepare your self for the possible side effects of using a medication. Hopefully, you will learn from your physician what to expect. If you are lucky, you will discover that your boss is willing to provide you with certain accommodations.

That’s what happened to Harry Bumstead, the art director for the movie Million Dollar Baby. Clint Eastwood, the director, provided Harry with a wheelchair, and a car plus driver during the filming. So even though Harry’s diagnosis came just before the filming started, he was able to remain part of the “Eastwood team.” If you, too, are part of a “team,” or if you have been a hard and diligent employee, then do not hesitate to ask for one or more accommodations.