Don’t Rely on Luck

We are both lucky to be survivors of prostate cancer.

For David, my brother, it was the luck of having a company medical examination that picked up a very high PSA level. For me, Tony, it was the luck of having a brother as a marker and as a consequence tracking my PSA – David diagnosed nine years earlier with cancer and having his prostate removed.

At the time, neither of us had any obvious physical symptoms, and we didn’t know much about the disease. David some, and me only a little better, informed by David’s experience. And, unlike David, who’d had a strong PSA marker of 23ug/L on diagnosis, not too much was standing out for me – my level was 4.0ug/L. Indeed, at the time leading up to the diagnosis of my cancer, there was every indication I was okay.

Thankfully, though, I had a biopsy that detected it.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is an enzyme secreted by the prostate that is present in small quantities in the everyday serum of men. Blood tests of PSA levels are used in the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer. Changing and/or elevated levels are indicative of cancer of the prostate

The obvious point follows – you can’t rely on luck to get you through these things.

In a similar vein, you can’t wish things away or turn your back on something that might impact on your life.

Sure, only 15% of men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime, and only 2 to 3% will die from the cancer. But worldwide this is about 400,000 men a year, and in places like Australia it’s 3,600 men a year or 10 men each day, 12,000 annually in the UK, more in Germany, and in the USA about 30,000 annually or between 3 and 4 men every hour of every day. In New Zealand, where we live, it’s almost 2 men a day.  

Other obvious points follow – you need to be informed, and you need to take control of your life.

Don’t sit back and think it will not happen, because if it does and you have done nothing, then there is a chance you will be one of the 400,000 – the survival rate from advanced prostate cancer, cancer that has metastasized is very low.

And yes, there is no reason why this should occur.

What This Book is About

This book gives you the big picture, broad-based background and urological material prepared to provide you with enough information for you to understand, monitor, and if necessary, confront the disease.

Importantly, it gives you a survival package for confronting the risk of prostate cancer.

This includes a set of markers, the indicators you need to know and monitor, to tract the possibility of the disease, recognising much of the time there are no obvious symptoms, and as with all cancers, early detection and treatment are essential factors affecting survival.

It tells you to talk regularly to your doctor or public health provider, and it gives you sources you can access to keep you up to date with research and progress in this field.

And, it gives you our stories – held to the end in the last appendix. But, if you want, go straight there, and read our experiences first.

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