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38 - CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, September 26 - October 2, 1997
Cancer Watch
Men: take steps for early prostate cancer detection
An estimated 334,500 Ameri-
can men will get prostate cancer
this year and more than 41,800
men will die from the disease.
The American Cancer Society es-
timates 890 Delawareans will be
diagnosed with the disease in
1997, and an estimated 110
Delawareans will die this year.
Men age 50 and over are at risk
for developing prostate cancer,
and the risk increases with age.
African-Americans, for unknown
reasons, and men with a family
history of prostate cancer are at
highest risk for the disease.
The prostate is a gland of the
male reproductive system. The
prostate is quite small - it weighs
only about an ounce - and is near-
ly the same shape and size of a
walnut. It is located in front of the
rectum, just below the bladder,
and wraps around a tube called the
urethra, which carries urine from
the bladder.
The prostate is made up largely
of muscular and glandular tissues.
Its main function is to produce the
fluid that carries and nourishes
sperm cells. Prostate cancer may
be confined to the prostate gland,
may spread locally to other organs
or may spread through the blood
to distant organs.
Early prostate cancer usually
causes no symptoms. However,
possible symptoms include weak
or interrupted flow of the urine;
inability to urinate or difficulty in
beginning to urinate; need to uri-
nate frequently, especially at
night; blood in the urine or semen,
and continuing pain in the lower
back, pelvis or upper thighs.
A digital rectal exam (DRE)
performed together with the
prostate specific antigen (PSA)
blood test is the most effective
way to detect prostate cancer at an
early and potentially curable
stage. PSA is produced by
prostate cells - normal and cancer-
ous - and can be measured in a
blood sample. The higher the
PSA, the greater the chance a man
has prostate cancer.
Men age 50 and older should be
tested annually for prostate can-
cer. Men who are African-Ameri-
can or have a family history of the
disease are advised to begin annu-
al testing at age 40. A positive re-
sult from the DRE and PSA usual-
ly is followed by an ultrasound
test and a needle biopsy, which
determines if the prostate cancer
exists.
If prostate cancer is detected in
the early stages, treatment options
are much broader and the chances
for a cure are much greater. De-
termining which course of treat-
ment to follow is a choice that
must be left to the patient and his
physician, after weighing such
considerations as the patient's
age, health, stage of the disease
and the "Gleason grade," or rate
of growth.
In some cases, particularly in
older men where the cancer can be
slow growing, the best option may
be "watchful waiting," or moni-
toring the cancer without under-
taking treatment. Other options
include the following:
• Radical prostateetomy -
surgery to remove the tumor is
generally preferred treatment
when the cancer is localized in the
prostate or immediate surround-
ings. New, nerve-sparing tech-
niques reduce the risk of impo-
tence from this procedure.
• Radiotherapy - radiation is
used when cancer is in the
prostate or has spread locally. Ex-
ternal beam radiation or radioac-
tive seed therapy is used.
• Hormonal therapy or
chemotherapy - used to treat can-
cer that has spread beyond the
prostate or localized area.
• Cryosurgery - this technique
freezes prostate cancer cells to
death. It has been performed on
patients who have localized can-
cer and on those in whom the can-
cer has spread.
The good news is that increased
awareness and early detection are
having a positive impact. Today,
almost 60 percent of diagnosed
cases were localized and poten-
tially curable. This shows that
men are gaining a lead-time ad-
vantage through early detection.
Editor's Note: This information
provided by Milford Memorial
Hospital and the American Can-
cer Society.
Beebe mourns loss
of Robert Klingel, M.D.
Beebe Medical Center is
mourning the loss of Robert Klin-
gel, M.D., who died Sunday, Sept.
14. Klingel, 82, practiced medi-
cine in the Cape Region for more
than 50 years and continued to see
patients until his death.
Doctors David Birch, 644-
07144; Alisa Bell, 227-8115; and
Habib Bolourchi, 645-7672, are
accepting Klingel's patients. Pa-
tients needing their medical
records may call Klingel's office
at 227-2168 during regular busi-
ness hours.
Beebe to host
AARP "55 Alive'
Beebe Medical Center will
sponsor a series of two AARP "55
Alive" Safe Driving classes to be
held Tuesday and Wednesday,
Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, from 6 to 10
p.m. at Beebe's School of Nurs-
ing. The program, aimed at people
age 50 and over, will be taught by
a trained AARP volunteer. The
cost of the program is $8, and par-
ticipants are instructed to bring a
check for that amount, payable to
AARP, on the first night of class.
The course covers age-related
physical changes, declining per-
ceptual skills, rules of the road, lo-
cal driving problems and license
renewal requirements.
Completion of the two-day
course may allow participants to
receive a 10 percent discount on
the liability and no-fault portion
of their automobile insurance pre-
mium. The class is open to both
AARP members and non mem-
bers. There is a limit of 30 partici-
pants, and pre-registration is re-
quired. To register call 645-3332.
Chelation therapy
seminar Oct. 9
There will be a free seminar on
chelation therapy, a practice
which has helped thousands of
men and women improve angina,
arthritis, diabetes, high choles-
terol, hypertension and fatigue, on
Thursday, Oct. 9 from 7 to 8:30
p.m. The seminar will be held at
3200 Eagles Landing in Rehoboth
Beach.
Fitness Tip
of the
Week
Endurance training
and cholesterol
Endurance training can help
improve cholesterol level.
Some research indicates that
people who work on en-
durance training have higher
rates of "good cholesterol"
than those who do not.
Submitted by Robert Cairo,
licensed physical therapist,
Tidewater Physical Therapy, 945-5111.
FREE Health Seminar from Beebe Medical Center
"Heartburn and Sour Stomach"
A Video and Slide Presentation
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1997
SPEAKER: Dr.Vinod Parasher
Gastroenterologist
LOCATION: Lewes Public Library
Lewes
TIME: 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Beebe
Medical
Center
This is a free seminar.
Please call 645-3332 to register.
424 Savannah Rd., Lewes, DE