MAYWOOD, Ill. - As part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Loyola University Medical Center will offer free prostate cancer screenings on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
The screenings will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. in Loyola's Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, 2160 S. First Ave., Maywood.
The screenings will be confidential and include blood tests and exams by board-certified urologists. Participants will be notified of their blood test results by mail. If a test is abnormal, Loyola medical staff will contact the individual to arrange additional care.
"When caught early enough, prostate cancer is highly treatable," said Dr. Robert C. Flanigan, chairman, Department of Urology. "Early detection can dramatically increase the chances of surviving prostate cancer. All men should be screened for prostate cancer every year after age 50. African-Americans, who have the highest rate of the disease and the lowest rate of survival, should be screened earlier."
Appointment times are limited and registration is required. Call (888) 584-7888. The screening is not recommended for men currently under the care of an urologist.
One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes, according to the American Cancer Society. This year, more than 33,000 men are expected to die of the disease. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. One in 36 men in the United States will die of prostate cancer. Among cancers, only lung cancer is more deadly in men.
The prostate is the gland below the bladder that produces fluid for semen.
Prostate cancer is rare in men younger than 40. Symptoms include: