S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on today's show , the personal story of a man fighting prostate cancer and his efforts to raise awareness , plus the latest therapies to save lives. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. About 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. It is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths for American men , behind lung cancer. That's according to the mayor , to the American Cancer Society , and black men are the most likely to be diagnosed. But early detection can save lives. That's that really starts with , you know , spreading awareness and knowing what to look for. Well , joining me now to share his story with us is Gerry McCormick. Gerry , Jerry , welcome. Hi.
S2: Hi. Thank you for having me.
S1: So glad to have you on first.
S2: My surgery is first thing in the morning and tomorrow begins a new chapter in my life. So it's a little bit nerve wracking , but I'll be okay. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , take me back to your diagnosis in September.
S2: Well , let me take you back a little bit further. Yeah. Early in September , I went to the doctor for a different reason , and she said , well , while you're here , we probably need to do a PSA , which is protein , sorry , prostate specific antigen test. And it's a blood test. And I said sure , no problem. And then she called me back and said , hey , we spotted something. We need to do an MRI. They did an MRI that led to a biopsy. And then I was , you know , really just kind of getting really nervous. And so I took a little trip out of town , uh , to go to a concert. And on the way to the concert , the email came with the lab results. And so I was like , uh oh , here it is. And I decided just to go ahead and go to the concert and then look afterwards. And then I looked at the lab results. And , you know , as a former journalist , I started going on WebMD and YouTube trying to figure out what everything was. And then a few days later , I went to the urologist and she told me that I had prostate cancer , and I just went blank because that's something I thought I would never say or never hear. Um , and so it's it's a bit scary , but I'm going to be okay.
S1: Right ? Well , you mentioned your surgery is coming up tomorrow. Are you comfortable telling us more about that ? Because there are many different avenues you could have taken there. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. So there are basically two things you could have radiation or you could have surgery where they actually remove the prostate. And so for me , I'm 57 years old , I don't want to have kids. And I just wanted to , to be honest , to get it over with and move on with my life. Now there's a chance I still could have some lasting effects from the surgery. Um , and there could be a chance I could still use or need additional radiation. But right now , the surgery is my best option. And I , you know , I thought it over , talked it over with loved ones. And then I decided I just that was the best route for me. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. You know , looking back , did you have any symptoms ? Okay.
S2: Yeah. A little , um , I was going to the bathroom a lot overnight , and I just thought , oh , this is old man problems. I'm getting older. And then one night I got up 12 times to use the bathroom , and I thought , okay , now I'm not drinking this much water. And I knew something was up. And so I'm glad my doctor had the wherewithal to say , hey , we probably need to test you for this because I didn't ask for this test , you know ? I didn't know to ask for this test. And that's why I'm trying to use my voice in any platform to tell men , all men , to please make sure you go and get checked , because you just never know what's lurking in your body. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. That awareness for both men and and practitioners is so important.
S2: And I saw him on the Today Show talking about it , and I thought , oh , that's really sad. I didn't realize that it could be me. And I knew Al Roker had it. Um , but as far as just like , day to day stuff , I didn't know much about it. Um , and now I consider myself an armchair doctor with it because I've read all the books I've read and investigated and watched the videos. And so I'm going in tomorrow pretty prepared as well as as prepared as it can be. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. I mean was this was prostate cancer something you talked about with friends and family.
S2: No , not at all. It doesn't even run in my family. Um , I did read the statistic that 1 in 6 black men will be diagnosed with this. And I come from a family of six boys. Well , my other brothers didn't have it. I'm the youngest , and so the odds were not in my favor. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. You know , well , as you mentioned , you know , black men do face higher risk of prostate cancer and much more likely to die of the disease.
S2: But to answer your question , I think , you know , people are afraid to go to the doctor because they're afraid of bad news. But the thing of it is , is you need to know what's going on with your body. You you absolutely do. And don't be afraid to speak up and advocate for yourself. Um , the thing of it is , is I'm lucky that I have a really good doctor. But what if I didn't ? You know , this could be in my body and for years. And , you know , five years from now , I could be deathly ill and can't figure out why. So my message is , you know , every time you go to the doctor , ask them , hey , is there something I need to know ? Is there something I need to get checked ? We haven't done this in a while.
S1:
S2: Jade. I mean , that's just it. They're afraid. Um , I go to the doctor as often as I can because I want to make sure that I know what's going on with my body. And , you know , it's really sad because this is treatable. You know , if you catch it early enough. And unfortunately , a lot of people , they're catching it too late. And then it's it's to the point where they die. And this is something that if people were just stay on top of their health , stay on top of their doctors , that this could be prevented.
S1: So it's not necessarily a more aggressive form of cancer that black men are dealing with. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. I mean , we tend to have it more , but at the same time , you know , it is treatable. I'm lucky mine is going. I mean , mine isn't that bad. I mean , it's I don't this is a club I don't want to belong to , to be honest. But I'm here , and so I'm glad I'm doing something about it instead of just waiting to see what will happen. Right.
S1: Right. Well , um. speaking of of clubs , as you mentioned , you are in talks with UC San Diego to form a support group that targets the black community. Talk about why that's important to you.
S2: So I am of the belief if I know something , everybody should know , right ? And I guess it's the former journalist to me is like , tell everything you know. And so for me , you know , black the black population here is 6%. Right. And so that means and I'm not going to do math , but that means more than me is suffering , not suffering. Excuse me. I'm going to change that more than me has this condition right now. And so there's somebody sitting out here who's probably listening to the show that might have prostate cancer and may not even know it. And so that's why I want to form this group to get to advocate , get the word out , get people checked , get people tested so that they know. Because , you know , I hate to use this analogy , but I mean , knowledge is power. And the more that you know , the more you can do something about it. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Where should people look for more information and for information about.
S2: This in the very early stages of this ? But I do know that they're going to be having a prostate cancer symposium at the end of January , and we're making plans to be in black spaces to educate people and let them know that we're trying to form this group. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Well , you know , Jerry , it's really admirable that you've taken a diagnosis and really turned it into motivation for helping others.
S2: Tell everybody you know , every man you know. Just. And it doesn't have to be an awkward conversation. It can be. Hey , I heard on the news that black men or men have a higher risk of prostate cancer. Have you been checked lately ? Or maybe the next time you go to the doctor or they're headed to the doctor , say , hey , make sure you ask them about your prostate. You know. Or a PSA test. Um , if we stay silent , then nothing changes. That's why I'm out here trying to , you know , spread the word so that even if one other person decides to go get checked today , then my work is done. Mhm.
S1: Mhm.
S2: And I noticed there wasn't any specifically targeted to black men. And so I then online Facebook groups , and I've also been talking to a group up in Riverside. Um , they have been super supportive. They've called to check on me to make sure that I'm okay. And during this , this whole journey , I actually learned that three of my close male friends had prostate cancer and they never said a word. And I asked them why. And they said , well , it's personal , is private. And I just thought to myself , well , yeah , it is. But at the same time , had you said something , it might have triggered something within me to go get checked. So I decided I'm just going to be open , honest and transparent with my journey and let people know because you have to you. This is this is a scary time. I'm not going to try to , you know , pretend to be brave. It's scary. But at the same time , you know , you just need to let people know that this is something that if they take action , they can. They can. It's treatable. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , Jerry , it is scary.
S2: Um , you know , give us space when we need it and give us a hug when we need that too , because your emotions are all over the place. You know , one day you're like , I'm going to beat this. And I can , you know , fight this off. And then one day it's just like , am I going to die ? I don't know what's going to happen. And for control freaks like myself , that's super scary. But I decided to control what I could control , which is telling people about it , letting people know , getting people aware of this because it's not something that we talk about every day. Like for example , October Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink everywhere. Right. But with men , we don't talk about our health. We don't talk to each other about. Hey , brother , are you good ? Have you been checked ? Have you been tested ? We don't do that. And we need to change that because our silence is killing people.
S1: Well , I know your story will certainly inspire more people to to turn to that early screening. I've been speaking with Jerry McCormick. Jerry , thank you for sharing your story and we're all rooting for you.
S2: Thank you Jade , I appreciate it.
S1: Still ahead , a doctor joins us to talk about early screening for prostate cancer and the latest therapies. We're back after the break. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. We're continuing our conversation about prostate cancer , the most common cancer diagnosis for men in the United States. It's also the second leading cause of cancer related death among men after lung cancer. We just heard from Gerry McCormick about his recent diagnosis and his efforts to spread awareness about early detection. And now we'll hear a medical perspective from Doctor Ram Dev Canady , director of the urinary oncology program at Scripps Cancer Center. He's also a surgeon with Scripps Clinic. Doctor Canady , welcome.
S3: Thank you for having me.
S1: I'm so glad to have you here. And that's kind of jetty. Sorry for that mispronunciation. Um , yeah.
S3: The overwhelming majority of people that get diagnosed with prostate cancer do so by virtue of a blood test that gets done. Um , and if we do a blood test called a PSA that is abnormal , that prompts us to investigate further with various blood or urine tests that are secondary tests or imaging with , uh , typically an MRI and ultimately leading if we're still suspicious to a biopsy , which is what clinches the diagnosis.
S1: And our previous guest mentioned frequent urination.
S3: Uh , it can be a reason to also investigate for prostate cancer , which can be coexisting. But the most common cause of urinary problems in men after they're 50 years old is benign enlargement of the prostate. But as a urologist plans out what options for treatment might be feasible for those urinary symptoms , as part of the process , they will often screen for prostate cancer because that plays into how they determine what's best for the patient.
S1: And there there are , you know , a few ways of screening for this cancer. And you mentioned the PSA test.
S3: Uh , but it is true that the PSA is an imperfect test , meaning a lot of things can make it abnormal that have nothing to do with cancer. Uh , and historically , we used to use a cutoff of roughly for , uh , anybody with a number above four , we would automatically biopsy them or look for prostate cancer. But that led to a lot of overdiagnosis and over detection of prostate cancer in people who were not necessarily likely to succumb to the disease. So nowadays , we do a better job of using it as a piece of a larger puzzle , where we take into consideration the trend in their PSA level over time , uh , their underlying , uh , Symptoms , uh , their ethnicity , uh , their age and overall life expectancy. Because often prostate cancer can be a slow growing condition and some people are better off just watching it or not treating it as opposed to doing something , because any treatment for it runs the risk of diminishing a person's quality of life. And we certainly don't want to do that if we're not helping them live longer by treating it.
S1: Very interesting.
S3: But people who do have risk factors for prostate cancer , like a family history or certain ethnic groups , I will recommend that they have a PSA blood test annually , uh , after the age of 50 until they reach a point in their lifetime where they have less than a 5 to 10 year life expectancy. And I typically don't try to make those decisions for my patients. I work with them so they can decide when it's appropriate to stop. But for other people who have no risk factors , the sort of national guidelines from various major societies recommend doing it no more than once every other year after or between the ages of 50 and roughly 75. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. You mentioned , um , quality of life issues that can arise from someone who does get treatment for prostate cancer. Can you talk me through a few of those ? Sure.
S3: Uh , depending on the severity of the prostate cancer and what all needs to be done , some individuals can get surgery to have their prostate removed. Some people can get radiation to the prostate. Uh , some people have to also get something called hormone therapy , where we manipulate a person's hormones to try and suppress the cancer. None of these things are a free lunch , meaning they can result in side effects. Whether we do surgery or give radiation to the prostate that can result in urinary problems. For men who are still sexually active , it can take away their ability to engage in sexual intercourse. And for folks who have to go on some kind of hormonal manipulation , it can reduce their energy levels , give them fatigue , uh , give them mood disturbances , difficulty concentrating. So there are a lot of potential impacts on a person's overall quality of life that really need to be carefully considered as it relates to their , again , their life expectancy and the severity of the cancer itself. Because at some point you're sort of playing an odds game and saying , okay , if you're anticipating living this many additional years , it is worth it for you to treat this. Alternatively , if you have many other health problems and the odds are that other things are likely to take your life. Over time , you're better off not treating this , because we don't want to reduce your quality of life with the remaining time you have. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Well , have there been any new advances in terms of treatment in the last few years ? Absolutely.
S3: There are all kinds of new advances that are occurring in every aspect of this condition , whether it be the diagnosis of it , the treatment of it , or even the monitoring of it. Some of the more exciting advances are generally in the area where people have more advanced disease , and there previously have been limited options , but more options have been coming to for specifically , for example , at our institution at Scripps , Scripts. We do something called therapeutics , where if you have a scan of your whole body that indicates evidence of spread of the prostate cancer , we can then give you a special treatment that gets into your veins and specifically goes to those parts of the body where the cancer exists to try and suppress it or even kill it. Um , and so that's a very exciting development that we didn't previously have. Previously with pictures , we can map out where the cancer is , but now we can use that map to target things way more effectively than ever before on a molecular level. Wow.
S1: Wow. And well , and the death rate from prostate cancer has declined significantly over the past few decades. I would imagine some of those therapies may be why , but talk about the factors that have contributed to that decline.
S3: It is true that the death rate of prostate cancer has declined over time when we look back. A lot of that has to do with the advent of the PSA blood test , which occurred in roughly the 1990s , and we were able to identify prostate cancers earlier and ultimately give people treatment before things got out of hand. There was a little bit of an uptick in the death rate around the 20 tens because , as I mentioned earlier in this conversation , the use of the PSA ultimately resulted in people being over diagnosed and over treated. And so we had a pendulum swing the other way , where a lot of physicians really stopped checking a PSA on people because they felt like it would cause more harm than good. But that pendulum has once again swung back and become a little more centered , where we're more thoughtful about how we utilize the PSA test and who we utilize it on. So it gives us a better ability to really cherry pick the people who are going to benefit from treatment and avoid over treating those who won't. All combined with continued medical and technological innovation that has occurred , where even people who are at the end of the rope , so to speak , don't necessarily have to be , and they have additional options.
S1: Well , earlier this hour we talked about racial disparities within diagnosis trends.
S3: We don't entirely know. Meaning we know that men of African ethnicity seem to do worse as it relates to prostate cancer , even when adjusted for issues like socioeconomic status or access to healthcare. Meaning even if a person has easy access to doctors and health care if their they're African ethnicity , they do seem to have slightly worse prognosis compared to individuals who are not biologically. Exactly why that occurs remains a question to medical community. But to that point , we try and be more vigilant about individuals of that ethnicity so we can make sure we're not missing things. Some of that historically has been related to access to care. There are also certain cultures or individuals who know that this is a very sensitive part of their body. The prostate is a sexual organ , and so they're not necessarily keen on going to see a doctor to talk about those issues , because they don't want anybody doing anything to them in that part of their body. Uh , some of it has been related to certain ethnic groups and a lack of confidence or trust in the medical system because of historical events that have occurred. Um , so there are a lot of things that play into it. But as I said , even when you control for those factors and those are not part of the conversation in people who have similar access to care , the prognosis can some can be worse for , uh , African ethnicity individuals. Hmm.
S4: Hmm.
S1:
S3: Uh , to verify that the men in your life are seeing a doctor on a regular basis , at least annually for a health checkup. Um , and , and really just removing stigmas about that part of the bodies and people can increase their willingness to address anything that might pop up or even questions they might have. So they're talking about it with friends or family or both.
S1: I've been speaking with Doctor Ramdev Canetti , director of the urinary oncology program at Scripps Cancer Center and surgeon with Scripps Clinic. Doctor Khanna GT , thank you so much.
S3: Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
