One in 350 men under the age of 50 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. As men age, the chance that they’ll have prostate cancer increases. One in 52 men who are 50 to 59 years old will be diagnosed.
Mark OsborneNovember is also Movember, the global movement to raise awareness about prostate cancer and other men’s health issues. It’s the perfect time for older men to get their annual screening. Just ask Mark Osborne, of North Lauderdale, who was surprised by a prostate cancer diagnosis at age 53.
Osborne, who had routine checkups, never thought that he’d have to be tested for prostate cancer. He had no knowledge of prostate cancer, no symptoms and no family history of the disease.
During his screening for prostate cancer, his primary doctor noticed an increase in his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) scores, and Osborne was instructed to return for re-evaluation one week later. During Osborne’s next visit, his PSA scores once again climbed. It was at this point that Osborne began to think he may have prostate cancer.
“I kind of knew something was wrong,” said Osborne, “otherwise they wouldn’t have given me so many tests.”
Soon after, Osborne was referred to a urologist who performed a biopsy, and one week later he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“I was shocked,” he said.“It was right before my 54th birthday and I thought that I was too young to have prostate cancer.”
Dr Michael Tyler, M.D
Osborne then underwent prostate surgery with Michael Tyler, M.D., a urological cancer surgeon with Broward Health. Tyler used advanced minimally invasive robotics.
“After Mark’s diagnosis, I was able to offer him early and curative management of his prostate cancer using the da Vinci Robotic System,” Tyler said. “During Mark’s three-hour surgery I was able to have a three-dimensional view of the prostate and complete remote control of the robotic arms from the robotic console.”
Osborne is grateful that the cancer was detected early and that Broward Health was an option for what he noted was excellent care, advanced technology and quick recovery.
Almost two months after surgery, Osborne was at Universal Studios in Orlando going on rides.
“I’ve become an advocate for prostate screenings. People think it’s a stigma and it’s not,” he said. “I have friends that are older than me and I advise them to get checked. I advised my friend to get checked, and he was diagnosed soon after.”
Are you experiencing urological issues?
Find a urologist at BrowardHealth.org/Find-Doctor.
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Prostate Cancer Prevention Tips
There is no sure way to prevent prostate cancer. Some risk factors for prostate cancer are not within your control. These include your age and family history. But you can do some things that may help lower your risk of getting prostate cancer:
- Eat fruits and vegetables every day. Include tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Also include beans, peas and lentils.
- Limit high-fat meats and high-fat dairy foods. These include hamburgers, sausage, cheese and ice cream. Instead eat lean meats, fish and low-fat or nonfat dairy foods.
- Limit calcium in your diet. Too much calcium may raise your risk for prostate cancer. Normal amounts of calcium in dairy foods and drinks are fine. But talk with your healthcare provider before you take calcium supplements.
- Stay at a healthy weight. Obesity is linked to a higher risk for a more deadly type of prostate cancer.
- Get physical activity. Be active for at least 30 minutes on most days.
