Georgia urologist’s urgent message for men: Don’t delay prostate cancer screenings

ATLANTA — A local urologist wants to remind men not to put off health screenings any longer. Georgia Urology said it’s happened a lot in the pandemic and what could’ve been a curable cancer is unfortunately given time to grow into something more advanced.

Dr. Daniel Canter of Georgia Urology wants you to go see your doctor. He knows time matters when it comes to treating cancer.

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In the pandemic, people who put off their appointments are now finding what could’ve been detected early has progressed to something more aggressive. Canter has noticed this in PSA blood tests used to screen for prostate cancer.

“We’re seeing a lot of patients whose PSA are a lot higher than typically we would have seen and that’s probably due to the delay,” Canter said.

Canter said most men are asymptomatic, but unexplained bone pain in the back and pelvic area can be a sign. Men typically screen for prostate cancer at age 50, sometimes earlier due to risk factors.

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“When a patient’s PSA is higher, it’s an indicator that their cancer has left the prostate,” Canter said.

Commonly to lymph nodes or to the bone, and takes the patient’s cancer journey down a whole other route.

“They’ll have a good quality of life and a reasonable quantity of life, but their chance for a cure is unfortunately lost,” Canter said.

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Canter said don’t delay. He said men often think having problems urinating or getting up to go to the bathroom is a sign but it’s not. He said that’s due to benign enlargement of the prostate which happens to all men as they age.

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