TYLER (KYTX) - 71-year-old Charles Green gets a PSA blood test every year. That stands for Prostate Specific Antigen test. It's used to help find cancerous growth in men's prostates.
"At my age, you know, we're kind of in the high maintenance years, so we want to stay on top of that." says Green.
Dr. James McAndrew with Urology Tyler says prostate cancer is very common among men as they get older.
"Some of the symptoms of non-cancerous growth can be trouble urinating and having to get up frequently at night. But, the worrisome thing is that cancerous growth may not have any of those symptoms."
That's why green keeps up with his blood tests.
Dr. McAndrew says if cancer is found through PSA blood testing, chances of dying area less than 15 percent.
"The sooner we find prostate cancer, generally, we can treat it more efficiently."
"All been good so far." says green.
Things that increase a man's risk for prostate cancer include age, family history and race. So, doctors say most men should start testing at age 50, but for some, it's sooner
"If men have a family history of prostate cancer or are African American, they should start at about age 40." says Dr. McAndrew.
Doctors say cutting down on eating fatty foods- particularly animal fat, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables may lower your risk of developing prostate cancer.
