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On Saturday, the Urology Health Foundation will hold a free prostate cancer screening for men 40 years of age and older from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Pike County Health Department on 900 South Franklin Drive in Troy.  Face masks will be required. No appointments are needed.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. 

Dr. Thomas Moody, president of the Urology Health Foundation, said the year 2022 is extremely important for getting routine checkups out of the way.

“During the pandemic, lots of people didn’t see about their routine medical care and routine screenings including mammograms and prostate cancer screenings,” Moody said. “Therefore, a lot of diseases were not diagnosed or not diagnosed until later.’

Moody said as far as prostate cancer, the cancers that have been found later are more advanced than had they been found during routine screenings.

The pandemic began in March 2020 and many people didn’t follow up with routine checkups.

“Everything sort of shut down,” Moody said. “Some thought it was more dangerous to go out to a doctor’s office than it was to miss a checkup. But, a couple of years can make a huge difference in a cancer diagnosis.

“My plea is for people to get caught up with their checkups across the board. And, what I say to men ages 40 and over, if there is a positive diagnosis for prostate cancer, there are still things that we can do so don’t miss the opportunity on Saturday to get caught up with your prostate screenings or to stay caught up.

Moody said the rate of prostate cancer is overwhelming.

“By curing one guy at a time, over time we will see the impact, but it will take a while,” he said. “I encourage men over the age of 40 to be a part of the impact. Come, Saturday, and bring a friend.”