It's a life-threatening disease and topic of discussion that most men "sweep under the rugs."  If they have it, they don't talk about it, and they don't bother to allow the doctor to perform the simple check to see if it's developing to catch it at the earliest stage so that it can be treated.  When it comes to prostate cancer, most men adopt a don't ask, don't tell strategy.  They see the disease as their "shame" because they view it as a threat to their "manhood."
"For a long time, associated with prostate cancer has been erectile dysfunction which means that the man either can't, or has problems performing with his wife on an [intimate] basis," says Valentine "Val" Maura, a member of US Too, a prostate cancer education and support group member.  "Also, a lot of men don't get examined because they know they have to take a digital rectal exam (DRE), and when a doctor says you have to drop your pants, most men have all kinds of trepidation.  Because of that examination, most men wait until it's kind of late."
Maura himself is one of those men who did not have his first prostate examination until late in life.  His first check was performed at age 55.  Doctors usually recommend that men without familial history have the exam performed for the first time at age 40, for the disease that occurs when cells in the prostate gland grow out of control.  Most men have no early symptoms of prostate cancer, but some have urinary symptoms and discomfort.
"I wanted to know what my situation was and I was eager to find out what my condition was," says Maura of the first time he had his prostate examined.  As soon as I got near the examination room I got a little chicken myself," said the 62-year-old.  "I was real apprehensive when I found out what it entailed, but I said I had come that far and the only way I would find out my condition was to actually be examined."
Maura did the test and received a clean bill of health on his prostate.  With his relief he said came questions and concerns as to whether the examination had been properly done and whether he was really safe.  He has had his prostate checked every year since.  Although he's not a survivor, he's one of those men willing to stand up and promote the awareness of this life-threatening disease most men shy away from speaking about, because they don't want people to know.
"I became interested in cancer some years ago, in the embryonic stage of the Cancer Society some years ago -- and I don't know if I have an inquiring mind, or a wavering mind -- but if I get involved in something, I like to know about it as much as possible.  I don't like to just be a member."
As Us Too celebrates Prostate Cancer Awareness Month during September, and a decade as an organization, Maura says there is a lot more openness about the disease and the test to check for prostate cancer because men like himself and a few brave survivors have been talking about it, but he says there needs to be more talk among men.  To encourage that much-needed chat, Us Too will stage its third 1,000-man walk for prostate health on Saturday, September 17 behind the theme "Man to Man, Hand to Hand, Foot to Foot, Mouth to Ear, Communicating Each Other's Prostate Concern."  It's the Us Too organization's hope that as the men traverse the walk together they begin to talk together about the disease.
While more men talk about the prostate cancer today than they did 10 years ago, Maura says more communication is still needed about the disease that was once thought of as an old man's disease.
Prostate cancer screening statistics by Us Too over the last five years have for the most part increased during prostate screening clinics staged by the organization as the awareness improved.  In 2003, their statistics show a total of 313 persons were tested.  In 2004, the number dropped to 231, then again in 2005 to 227.  In 2006, a total of 481 persons were tested during the clinics, with 373 presenting in 2007.  In 2008, a record 771 tests were performed with 624 prostates checked in 2009, and last year, 687 men presented to have their prostates checked.
Statistics also show that most men reported that they took the test at the urging of their wives.  In 2004, two men said their wives encouraged them to take the test.  Last year statistics complied by Us Too show that 192 men said they had been encouraged to take the test by their spouses.
Maura says the information now suggests that men should have their prostate checked as early as 35, especially if they have a family history.  He says prostate cancer is a disease that can be treated and men don't have to die from it if it's caught early enough.
"Men are worried about their manhood, but aren't doing much, or waiting too late to take the requisite steps to protect the very thing that could destroy their manhood," he says.
With several tests to detect prostate cancer the DRE is an early test to screen for the disease when it is most treatable.  Maura say Us Too touts the DRE as it measures the degree of enlargement that a prostate has undergone and medical professionals are able to detect textural changes.  A Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Blood Test can be done in conjunction to the DRE.
"The PSA test alone won't be able to tell you what condition the prostate is in, because it has no way of measuring the degree of enlargement the prostate has undergone.  There have been studies done that show that the PSA itself has no way of measuring what is happening to the prostate, so you could be falsely feeling safe or you could be way off the mark.  The DRE measures the degree of enlargement the prostate has undergone and it has a certain texture that it develops because of the enlargement and so therefore you need both to tell you the true picture, because you can have an elevated PSA count, but it cannot tell you what is actually happening with the prostate itself."
Although not a prostate cancer survivor, Maura says checking your prostate is an overall health concern and that younger men who don't take care of their prostates now will suffer from it later.
"A lot of people think when you get prostate cancer it automatically progresses to stage four and you die, but that's not the case, there's a process where it becomes an embarrassment, it becomes painful, it becomes everything before you eventually die.  Men tend to want to protect their manhood, but they're dealing with the very source of their manhood."
While there are no warning signs or symptoms of early prostate cancer, once a malignant tumor causes the prostate gland to swell significantly, or once cancer spreads beyond the prostate, men may have a frequent need to urinate, especially at night; difficulty starting or stopping a stream of urine; a weak or interrupted urinary stream; inability to urinate standing up; painful or burning sensation during urination or ejaculation or blood in their urine or semen.  While not symptoms of the cancer itself, they are symptoms of the blockage from the cancer growth within the prostate and surrounding tissues.
Symptoms of advanced prostate cancer include dull, incessant deep pain or stiffness in the pelvis, lower back, ribs or upper thighs; arthritic pain in the bones of those areas.  Loss of weight and appetite, fatigue nausea or vomiting, swelling of the lower extremities and weakness or paralysis in the lower limbs.
Maura says he knows of people who are undergoing prostate cancer treatment who have finally come to the realization that they are not going to die and that the disease is not fatal necessarily.
"They now find that because they're undergoing the treatment, they're looking at it much better.  They still haven't been brave enough to speak about it in a public forum but they have at least come to grips with the fact that they don't have to die.  Some are recovering from the surgery, some only have one or two more regimens of chemotherapy and radiation and are realizing it's a whole different ball game than the death knell they thought it was when they first found out."
Maura says too many men are worried about their manhood so they don't talk about prostate cancer, but he says not talking about it is the thing that could destroy their manhood.
During Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Us Too will host prostate cancer screening clinics during the month on Tuesday, September 20 at the Elizabeth Estates Clinic, on Thursday, September 22 at the Flamingo Gardens Clinic, on Tuesday, September 27 at the South Beach Clinic and on Thursday, September 29 at the Fleming Street Clinic.

 
WARNING SIGNS
A frequent need to urinate, especially at night.
Difficulty starting or stopping a stream of urine.
A weak or interrupted urinary stream.
Inability to urinate standing up.
A painful or burning sensation during urination or ejaculation.
Blood in urine or semen.
These are not symptoms of the cancer itself. Instead, they are the symptoms of the blockage from the cancer growth within the prostate and surrounding tissues.
ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER SYMPTOMS
Dull, incessant deep pain or stiffness in the pelvis, lower back, ribs, or upper thighs; arthritic pain in the bones of those areas.
Loss of weight and appetite, fatigue, nausea, or vomiting.
Swelling of the lower extremities.
Weakness or paralysis in the lower limbs.
WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE
Difficulty initiating and/or stopping a urine stream.
Frequent urination.
Pain on urination.
Pain on ejaculation.
Source: webmd.com/prostate-cancer

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian