Prostate Cancer: Risk Factors, Symptoms, Screening — What Men Need to Know

Prostate cancer has been referred to as both a silent killer and the silent man’s disease. Why? For one, many men don’t like talking or even thinking about it, since the disease affects sexual and urinary function. For another, there are no obvious early warning signs. So what should every man know about prostate cancer? When should you get screened for it? And what are the risk factors, symptoms and treatments? In this episode, we shine a light on prostate cancer, a common but often misunderstood and underemphasized type of the disease.

Expert: Dr. Michael Brooks, Urologic Oncologist 

Interviewer: Zach Moore   

Notable topics covered:  

• BRCA gene mutations: They don’t just raise the risk of breast cancer     
• Symptoms common to prostate cancer and an enlarged prostate 
• Does an enlarged prostate increase the risk of prostate cancer? 
• PSA screening: when to start, when to stop 
• When do you need a digital rectal exam? Are they as bad as they sound? 
• The ages when prostate cancer treatment is most beneficial 
• Surgery or radiation? The advantages and disadvantages 
• High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU): the effective new therapy for some cases 
• A slow-moving tumor: Why more men die with prostate cancer than because of it 
• Active surveillance: The decision not to treat 
• Prevention? Just the standard proper diet and exercise 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog.