Column: Prostate cancer prevention

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

Prostate cancer affects about 1 in 8 men in the United States. Highly treatable when caught early, regular screenings for prostate cancer and early detection are key to good outcomes.

Annual wellness visits with your primary care physician for routine screenings, in addition to family health history tracking, are the best way to find health issues early when treatment can be most successful.

Unfortunately, research shows men are overwhelmingly less likely to visit their primary care provider than women. Each September, during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, I encourage you to take stock of your preventative health: schedule your annual exam and any overdue health screenings.

Prostate cancer is detected with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a follow-up prostate biopsy. Elevated PSA levels may also indicate a benign prostate condition or inflammation/ infection in the prostate.

When and if you need a PSA test depends on your age, personal health history, and risk — work with your care team to understand if you are due for a PSA test during your annual wellness exam.

Preventing Prostate Cancer

Although there is no secret trick to staying cancer-free, there are ways to lower your chances of getting prostate cancer:

- Eat fruits and vegetables every day. Include tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
- Save high-fat meals and high-fat dairy for special occasions. Limit foods like hamburgers, sausage, cheese, and ice cream. Instead eat lean meats, fish, and low-fat or nonfat dairy foods.
- Use caution with calcium. Too much calcium may raise your risk for prostate cancer slightly. Normal amounts of calcium in dairy foods and drinks are fine. But talk with your healthcare provider before you take calcium supplements.
- Find ways to move more. Pick physical activities you enjoy and can see yourself doing for at least 30 minutes on most days.
- Stay at a weight that supports your health goals. Extra weight is linked to a higher risk for a more serious type of prostate cancer. Choosing healthy foods and adding movement to each day will help.

Annual wellness exams, including regular health screenings, in addition to proactive communications with your care team, are important pieces of prostate cancer prevention and detection.

Dr. Miriam Locke is a board-certified urologist treating men and women for a variety of urological issues, including prostate cancer, at Barton Urology in South Lake Tahoe. To learn more about available urological services, visit BartonHealth.org.