Ten minutes can save lives.
It’s just that simple, said Sherry Wilson, director of marketing Urology Centers of Alabama in Birmingham. “A simple, 10-minute, prostate cancer screening procedure can save a man’s life,” Wilson said.
And, to make these prostate cancer screenings as convenient as they are simple, Urology Centers of Alabama, the Urology Health Foundation and the Pike County Health Department are partnering to offer free prostate cancer screenings to men in the Pike County area between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday at the Pike County Health Department on Franklin Drive in Troy.
“Alabama is number one in football, but it is also number one nationally in the prostate cancer death rate of African American men and the third overall,” Wilson said. “The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 3,760 new diagnoses of prostate cancer in Alabama in 2014 and 540 deaths from prostate cancer. With early screenings, lives can be saved.”
According to information released by the American Cancer Society, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. In fact, more than 2.5 million men in the United State who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.
“The earlier prostate cancer is diagnosed the greater chance of survival,” Wilson said. “The screening includes a blood test and a physical exam and only takes about 10 minutes,” Wilson said.
“No appointment is needed and the screening is free. If additional follow-up is needed, the individual will be advised to see his personal physician.”
This year will be the fifth year the free prostate screenings have been offered to men in the Pike County area.
“Every year, more men have taken advantage of this opportunity,” Wilson said.  “In 2013, we screened 137 men and follow-ups were recommended for 18 percent of the men screened.”