Healthy Colorado: Medical expert highlights importance of routine prostate cancer screening
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Friday, former President Joe Biden announced that he'd been diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer, which has spread to his bones.
The news sparked widespread concern and raised many questions nationally about the nature of prostate cancer.
To provide clarity, KRDO13 turned to our resident medical expert Dr. Neha Sharma, who joined us in the studio to answer some of the most pressing questions about the illness.
“Prostate cancer starts in the prostate gland, which is located right underneath the bladder in men,” Dr. Sharma said. “The early stages usually have no symptoms, which is why routine screening is very important for early detection. But when patients do experience symptoms, these include difficulty urinating, blood in the urine, or persistent back pain or pain in the hips and pelvis."
According to Sharma, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the U.S., with about 1 in 8 men being diagnosed during their lifetime. Risk increases with age, especially after age 50, with about 60% of cases found in men over the age of 65, Sharma said.
Although prostate cancer is usually slow-growing, aggressive cases like Biden’s can spread more quickly to bones and other areas. The Gleason score, which ranges from 6 to 10, assesses how aggressive the cancer is. A score of 9 – the score Biden received – is considered high-risk.
Treatment usually depends on the stage of cancer, age of the patient, patient preference, and their health status, Sharma said, but options can include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy and immunotherapy.
Sharma emphasized that regular screenings are key to early detection, especially for those with a family history of prostate cancer.
Yesterday, KRDO13 spoke with local prostate cancer survivors and other medical experts who echoed her message about the life-saving importance of routine screening.
READ MORE: President Biden’s diagnosis sheds light on prevalence of prostate cancer
You can watch the full discussion with Dr. Sharma above.
Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.
