GREENSBORO, N.C. — September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. It's a very common but treatable form of the disease.
The cancer can become a lot more serious if people delay screening and miss it early.
To help you know when to get screened and possible warning signs, Dr. Lester Borden, Prostate Cancer Medical Director at Cone Health Cancer Center joined 2 Wants to Know.
Dr. Borden said prostate cancer becomes more likely as they age. Men with a family history, and Black men are at higher risk for getting the disease, according to Dr. Borden.
Dr. Borden warned that one of the biggest issues with prostate cancer is it typically does not show any symptoms until it's advanced to a point that it can no longer be treated. Many men get screened with PSA blood test. It looks for prostate-specific antigens. Dr. Borden said it helps doctors detect the illness sooner, so treatment remains an option.
"The men that are going to benefit the most are the ones with a longer life expectancy," Dr. Borden said.
Dr. Borden said men with less than 10 years expected in their life would not benefit from regular prostate cancer screening because the virus is slow moving.
Men at high risk should started getting screened as early as their 40s. If someone has a normal risk level, Dr. Borden said they should talk to their doctor to make a plan about when to start getting checked.