Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis in men – but it is a very preventable, treatable disease.

Dr. Bilawal Ahmed, a medical oncologist with Regional One Health Cancer Care, encourages men to be aware of symptoms and risk factors and to take advantage of screening.

He said prostate cancer is often curable when caught early, and even patients with advanced disease can live for many years.

The word cancer is scary for anyone – but advances in awareness, screening, and treatment are changing the way patients and health care professionals think about the disease.

“We have targeted screening that helps patients detect cancer earlier, and we have treatments that allow patients with cancer to live longer,” said Dr. Bilawal Ahmed, a medical oncologist with Regional One Health Cancer Care who specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer.

“In many cases, cancer is not a death sentence. It’s more like a chronic disease that we can treat and manage, like heart disease or diabetes.”

Dr. Ahmed recently hosted a “Lunch & Learn” to educate patients about risk factors, symptoms, screening, and treatment options for prostate cancer.

Dr. Ahmed, who is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network panel that creates national treatment guidelines for prostate cancer, said prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men. One in eight men will develop the disease at some point in life.

Diagnoses are on the rise, he added.

Part of that is due to people living longer. Aging is a main risk factor for prostate cancer, and the average age of diagnosis is 65: “The longer you live, you can’t protect against the cell mutations that happen with aging,” Dr. Ahmed explained.

“We have targeted screening that helps patients detect cancer earlier, and we have treatments that allow patients with cancer to live longer,” said Dr. Bilawal Ahmed, a medical oncologist with Regional One Health Cancer Care who specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Doctors are also seeing an increasing rate of prostate cancer in men in their 30s and 40s. In many cases, they have a more aggressive form of the disease.

That is why awareness and screening are so important, Dr. Ahmed said. He advised men to talk to their primary care provider about their personal risk factors.

Aging and family history are major risk factors, and the disease is more prevalent in Black men than men in other racial groups. Obesity is also a risk factor, both for developing prostate cancer and for developing a more aggressive form of the disease.

Symptoms include frequent urination, especially at night; difficulty starting urination, weak flow, or taking a long time to empty the bladder; blood in the urine or semen; unexpected weight loss or fatigue; and pain in the hip, pelvis, or lower back.

“A lot of these symptoms could be a one-off thing. Maybe you lifted something heavy and hurt your back, or you’re stressed out and tired,” Dr. Ahmed noted. “You can differentiate whether something is a concern if it isn’t improving or going away.”

Your PCP can help you access the screening that is right for you. “I’m a big fan of personalized, targeted screening,” Dr. Ahmed said. “It is different based on each person’s individual risk.”

Average-risk men should be screened yearly starting at age 45. Patients with a higher risk likely need to start screening earlier and may need additional tests.

Routine screening is a simple blood test performed by your PCP to look for elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Dr. Ahmed said an elevated PSA level doesn’t necessary mean you have cancer, or it could signal a non-deadly form of cancer that does not require treatment.

If your PSA is high, your doctor may just have you come back for a repeat test in three months. They may also send you for an MRI of the prostate and/or a biopsy.

Screening for prostate cancer is done through a simple blood test. Average-risk men should start yearly screening at age 45.

Patients who are diagnosed with prostate cancer have excellent treatment options,.

If the cancer is caught while confined to the prostate, it can often be cured with surgery or radiation. If it has spread to the lymph nodes, lower backbone, or other locations, it is typically not curable – but patients can live for many years thanks to hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, anti-androgens, the radiation medication Pluvicto, and clinical trials.

“We are moving toward more targeted, precision-driven cancer care,” Dr. Ahmed said. “Patients with prostate cancer are living longer and longer and enjoying a good quality of life.”

That said, he always encourages patients to focus on prevention and early detection first.

“Prevention is better than the cure. See your primary cancer provider to establish regular care and follow their screening recommendations,” Dr. Ahmed said. “Don’t think, ‘If I go to the doctor, I’ll hear bad news.’ You want to catch it early before it becomes advanced and can’t be cured, and that means early detection, screening, and targeted, precise therapy.”

Learn more at regionalonehealth.org/cancer-care/ and call 901-545-HOPE for appointments.