A woman has expressed that her husband’s untimely death might have been prevented if there had been a national screening program.
Carole Silver’s husband, Mark, who maintained a healthy and active lifestyle, approached her in 2010, revealing he had noticed blood after using the toilet at the age of 71.
Initially suspecting the issue to be hemorrhoids, the couple visited a doctor who confirmed the same diagnosis. In a piece for The Telegraph, Carole mentioned that their local GP provided Mark with hemorrhoid cream and tested his blood for PSA levels.
The Mayo Clinic describes a PSA test as a blood test primarily used to screen for prostate cancer by measuring the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood.
Unfortunately, the test results brought concerning news; Mark’s PSA levels were alarmingly high at 27, whereas they should have been around three or four for his age.
Following a biopsy and an MRI, he discovered he had a largely symptomless form of prostate cancer that was no longer confined.
“Mark was given pills to suppress his testosterone. We did lots of googling and learned that testosterone feeds the cancer, so that made sense,” Carole wrote.
“The pills did reduce his PSA levels for a while, and Mark also underwent 12 weeks of radiotherapy a few months later.”
By 2012, Mark’s PSA levels increased again, leading the couple to consult a Harley Street urologist who informed them that surgery was possible to remove the cancer.
After spending £6,000 ($7,977) on a private scan and surgery, they learned the cancer was incurable.
By 2019, the cancer had metastasized to Mark’s bones, hips, and eye sockets. A week prior to their 48th wedding anniversary, Mark passed away.
“Amongst all the grief and loss I felt angry that the last decade of his life had been dominated by this disease which ended up killing him,” Carole reflected.
She mentioned she is “very pleased” that their two sons are “aware of the condition and are able to have blood tests,” but lamented the absence of a screening program that could have detected Mark’s cancer earlier.
Cancer Research UK confirms that there is no national screening program for prostate cancer in the UK or the US.
This lack of a program is due to the absence of a reliable test to detect prostate cancer that requires early treatment, according to the charity.
Typically, early prostate cancer has no symptoms. Some common indicators include changes in urination, such as a weak stream, difficulty starting, or increased frequency.
Additional signs include blood in the urine, similar to Mark’s experience, and in advanced cases, erectile dysfunction, unexplained weight loss, or bone pain.
About 80-85 percent of all prostate cancers are identified in the local or regional stages (I, II, and III), with many patients being disease-free after five years.
However, prostate cancers detected at a distant stage have a significantly lower average five-year survival rate of 28 percent compared to local and regional prostate cancers, according to Hopkins Medicine.
If these issues have affected you and you wish to speak with someone confidentially, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or use their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.