September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and Good Samaritan
encourages all men to get screened. According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the goal of screening for prostate cancer
is to find cancer early that may spread if not treated.
There are two tests that are commonly used to screen for prostate cancer.
The first is a blood test called prostate specific antigen (PSA). PSA
is a substance the prostate makes and the blood test measures the level
of PSA in the blood. The PSA level may be high if a man has prostate cancer
and for other reasons, such as having an enlarged prostate, a prostate
infection, or taking certain medications.
The other screening used is a digital rectal examination. This exam is
when a health care provider inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into a
man’s rectum to feel the prostate for anything abnormal, such as cancer.
“Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in American men,
and prostate cancer mortality has decreased since PSA testing has become
available,” said Dr. Brian Gebhardt, Radiation Oncologist at Good
Samaritan. “Screening can help identify prostate cancers when they
are easier to treat and more likely to be cured.”
Good Samaritan’s Community Health Services will be offering a few
PSA blood screenings throughout the month of September. To see the calendar
of screening times and locations, visit gshvin.org/for-your-health/events-calendar,
or call Community Health at 812-885-8753.
Men are also invited to attend this year’s Men’s Wellness Fair.
This event, which was previously called the Men’s Health Tune Up,
will be simplified to only include health screenings this year –
thus the one-time name change to Men’s Wellness Fair. The free screenings
offered will include blood pressure, colorectal take-home kits, pulse
oximetry, and a lab draw that will test blood sugar, lipid profile (total
cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides), glomerular filtration rate (kidney
function), and PSA for prostate cancer.
Attendees must pre-register for the Men’s Wellness Fair online at
gshvin.org/wellnessfair or by calling 812-885-3336. All attendees will
be socially distanced and must wear a mask. Fasting for 10-12 hours before
the lab draw is recommended, but not required.