8 VITALITY Fall 2025 Men, you have a roughly 1 in 8 chance of getting prostate cancer in your lifetime. Though it’s a serious condition, the prostate cancer death rate is half of what it was 30 years ago, thanks to earlier detection and better treatments. Here are the facts you should know about prostate cancer today. Symptoms Early-stage prostate cancer typically has no symptoms. (That’s why you need to get screened.) Later-stage symptoms can include frequent, difficult or painful urination. You might also have erectile dysfunction or pain in the lower back, hips, pelvis and upper thighs. Screening Getting screened is essential to catching prostate cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage. There are two types of screening tests: a digital rectal exam and a blood test called a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. If either of those tests shows abnormalities, you may need more testing. Types of cancer If a biopsy shows that you have prostate cancer, the next step is determining how aggressive the cancer is and if it has spread. Stages I and II are early stages where the cancer hasn’t spread beyond the prostate. Stages III and IV indicate that the cancer is more advanced and has spread to other parts of the body. Treatment If you receive a diagnosis, talk to your provider to choose a treatment plan. Sometimes the best option is no treatment. This is called watchful waiting, which means your provider will check the growth of the cancer often. If there’s no growth, there’s no need for treatment. When treatment is needed, it often involves radiation therapy and/or hormone therapy to shrink the cancer. Your provider may also recommend removing your prostate. If you have questions or want to discuss screening, contact your provider, who may refer you to a specialist. If you don’t have a provider, go to citizensmemorial.com to find one near you. What men need to know about prostate cancer Expert prostate cancer care at CMH If you or a loved one needs prostate cancer treatment, ask your primary care provider to refer you to board certified urologist Mark Walterskirchen, M.D., at the CMH Urology Surgical Clinic. Dr. Walterskirchen is one of the few physicians in Missouri who can perform both cryoablation and robotic prostatectomy for prostate cancer treatment. Cryoablation is a procedure to freeze prostate tissue and kill prostate cancer cells. Robotic prostatectomy is a surgical procedure to remove part or all of the prostate gland. For more information, call the CMH Urology Surgical Clinic at 417-326-2550. Watch a video from Dr. Walterskirchen at cmhbolivar.info/ ProstateCancer.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2MTU5NA==