Editor:

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know that a man is 33% more likely to get prostate cancer than a woman is to get breast cancer? It's true.

There will be over 2.8 million new cases of prostate disease reported in 2012. For over 241,000 men, it will be prostate cancer and 35% will be under the age of 65. Overall, one in every six men

Over 32,000 of those men will die because they didn't get an examination or didn't act soon enough. That equates to one man dying every 17 minutes of every day from Prostate Cancer.

Thanks to the US Preventive Services Task Force, which had no medical oncologist or urologist, they have recommended eliminating the PSA test and leaving American men without a defense in the fight against prostate cancer. The American Urological Association disagrees.

Someone you know may be affected. Your husband, father, son, brother, grandfather, or friend. Encourage all men 40-75 and especially African American men over 35 or any man whose father or brother had Prostate Cancer to get tested this month! Both a PSA and a DRE.

Four important things to remember before getting tested

1. Be sure that you're rested.
2. Have no sexual activity for 72 hours before the test.
3. Got a cold? Put the test on hold.
4. Either have your PSA test before the DRE or delay taking a PSA test for 48 hours AFTER you have had your DRE test.

Don't let it be said at your eulogy, "He was too afraid or embarrassed to get tested."

Check out www.pcaw.org for more information

Gordon Clay
Brookings