Prostate cancer is the number one cancer afflicting American men today and its incidence continues to rise. That's why Western Baptist Hospital participates in the Purchase Area Prostate Screening Coalition dedicated to increasing awareness and early detection of prostate cancer.

The Purchase Area Prostate Screening Coalition provides a free, yearly screening to the community, which includes a PSA blood test, physical exam and education for each participant. Since 1993, 836 men have participated in the screening. Thirty-nine percent of them have been referred for follow-up visits with their personal physicians because of abnormalities detected during the screening.

The physical exam is a digital rectal examination which allows the doctor to detect many prostate cancers before symptoms develop. PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is produced only by prostate cells--normal and cancerous--and can be measured in a blood sample. The higher the PSA, the greater the chance that a man has prostate cancer.

The American Cancer Society recommends yearly digital rectal exams and serum PSAs for all men after age 50 and beginning at age 40 for those at increased risk because of family history. African American men have a higher risk of contracting prostate cancer and should be screened yearly after age 40.

For a comprehensive library of cancer-related information, visit our Baptist Online Cancer Resource Center.