Personal Stories Prostate Cancer Coverage in the News
End of April 2000 New York City Mayor and Presidential Nominee for 2008 Rudolph W. Giuliani, then 55 years old, told the press that he had prostate cancer.
His cancer was detected at an early stage by a prostate cancer biopsy procedure after a routine blood test, part of annual prostate screening, had revealed high PSA counts.
Mr. Giuliani, who lost his father to prostate cancer in 1981 when the PSA test didn’t exist yet, knew very well about the treatment options available.
In an interview with the American Cancer Society he said: “Each method has its pros and cons, with various side effects and levels of effectiveness.”
He could have chosen for a “wait-and-see” approach for six months, so that he could have continued his Senate campaign. However, he decided to get out of the race. Saying: “I had no idea how fast I would recover or what would happen if I would wait with the treatment.”
Soon his doctor initiated hormone therapy followed by implanted radiation pellets treatment. Also did Mr. Giuliani receive 25 external radiation treatments over a five-week period.
“Don’t skip your screening”
Deciding to deal promptly with his diagnose of prostate cancer and start with treatments, saved his life.
“Of course, we probably wouldn’t be talking about this if I had skipped my regular screening. And that’s the decision I want men to acknowledge,” said Mr. Giuliani, “If you’re over 50 or in a high risk group, please get screened – now.”
Prostate cancer discovered at an early stage and properly treated, gives a much better chance to beat the cancer.
Some people will not visit a doctor until symptoms and problems become very painfull. In many cases, even when it is obvious there are symptoms of an illness people will avoid seeing a doctor until it becomes obvious there is a serious problem present.
Detecting Prostrate Cancer Early
Before things become really bad, it is best to have regular check ups with your doctor. Far too often, men don’t do this and find out about their illness far too late. As such, when a man reaches middle age, he should ask his doctor for a yearly physical check up.
If you have an enlarged prostrate or cancer, your doctor will (hopefully) find it. In that case your doctor will likely want to do a prostate ultrasound test in order to see how far the cancer has spread. This will help him to decide on the appropriate action needed to keep the illness from getting worse.
Personal Stories Prostate Cancer: A Sense of Hope
Mr. Giuliani successfully beat his prostate cancer and has fully recovered. Personal stories like his, give a sense of hope and optimism to all, that a very serious illness like prostrate cancer, is not one that cannot be cured.