PCa screening moves on

Prostate Cancer Screenings Go To The Barbershop


PITTSBURGH -- Prostate cancer affects about one in six men in the United States. African American men are at a greater risk for the cancer, which may not have any symptoms early on.

To reach these men, screenings have been set up in places where you wouldn't expect it - like barbershops.

The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Minority Health organized the event.

"If you want to reach men, you go to where they are. So it was natural to partner with barbershops," Mario Brown, from Pitt's Center for Minority Health, said. "What we really hope to accomplish is to develop trusting relationships between clinical professionals and the community at large."

You need fancy equipment to do the screenings. The men get a blood test called PSA. Sometimes a PSA can be high with prostate cancer. At other screenings, the nurse practitioner would also just use a gloved, lubricated finger to check the prostate for lumps.

Normally the prostate is smooth. It's a walnut-shaped gland located just a few inches inside the rectum.

"When we first implemented this we were thinking no one was going to come, no one was going to do the digital rectal exam," says Nurse practitioner Paula Balough, "and they did come and allow us to do the digital rectal exam with the PSA, and it has been a success."

If a PSA comes back high, the man is referred to a doctor. A social worker can help with any insurance issues, but each man should still keep track of his numbers.

"If they have a normal level this year that might be 0.4, and may be 1.0 next year, that might be a change that they have to be in tune with. So it's up to them to take responsibility for their own health," Balough said.

Other tests like ultrasounds and specialized X-rays can be done if any abnormalities are found. Prostate cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation and hormone therapy. All of these do have certain risks associated with them. The prognosis depends on how advanced the cancer is when it's found.
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