September is prostate cancer awareness month, and more men are being diagnosed with advanced cases of the disease, a new report shows.
Prostate cancer is deeply personal for News4's Tony Perkins, who has been open about being diagnosed in 2022.
He shared on News4 Today on Monday that after a follow-up biopsy, his doctor told him that his cancer progressed. Thanks to early screening two years ago, he's been able to regularly track his progress.
Now, he's using his story to encourage other men to get screened early.
Detecting prostate cancer early can help prevent advanced disease
Prostate cancer is the second-most-common cancer among men, affecting 1 in 8 men. If it’s caught early, the chances of survival are good. But over the past decade, doctors have seen a troubling trend.
“Men are presenting with much more advanced disease, often incurable disease, growing at a rate about 4 to 5% per year. And that's in part due to less early detection,” Dr. William Dahut of the American Cancer Society said.
A simple blood test could save lives.
"Men have not been getting a blood test called the prostate specific antigen test, which is measuring a protein in the blood, which tells them that they're at a very high risk of prostate cancer, if that's an elevated test," Dahut said.
With active surveillance methods like regular blood tests, MRIs and repeat biopsies, people can delay symptoms and may never need treatment unless the cancer progresses, Dahut said.
Testing is what helped Perkins get an early diagnosis. Two years ago, his PSA test was high, so he went for an MRI and was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"My doctor recommended active surveillance and he continues to monitor me closely," Perkins said.
Black men are two to four times more likely to die of prostate cancer
Perkins now uses his journey to encourage men to get screened, especially because of the high risk rate among Black men.
Black men are about 30% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and two to four times more likely to die of the disease, Dahut said.
"That's particularly striking in Washington, D.C., where it's much closer to the four times more likely to die than in other parts of the country," Dahut said.
Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer don't have any symptoms at all. Those diagnosed with the advanced disease, though, can have symptoms such as weight loss, bone pain and blood in their urine when it spreads to other parts of the body.
Due to his cancer progressing, Perkins' cancer treatment plan will now include either surgery or radiation treatment in the months ahead.
"My plan is to share my journey with you in the hopes of raising awareness and helping others," Perkins said. "The important thing with prostate cancer, as with so many types of cancer and diseases, is early detection. It is as simple as a blood test."
'We're here for you, whatever you need'
Perkins shared the news on News4 Today as his teammates offered their support.
"We're here for you, whatever you need," News4's Melissa Mollet said. "I'm so glad you're sharing this, because it's going to help people."
News4's Jummy Olabanji stressed how important it was for Dahut to flag statistics about Black men and prostate cancer.
"We know just like with breast cancer in women and in D.C., specifically within our community, the rates of mortality, people not getting checked is much higher," she said. "So, you sharing your story is definitely going to help some men out there."
"Like you said, early detection is everything, and, luckily, you've been on it for two years now," Storm Team4 Meteorologist Chuck Bell said. "We'll be here for you."
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