Did you happen to see all the tight ends on Super Bowl Sunday?
And we mean all the tight ends – those running on the field and those starring in commercials?
If you did, you likely noticed the “Relax Your Tight End” Super Bowl Ad – a play on the football position and a win for prostate cancer awareness and early detection of prostate cancer.
The ad from Novartis, a pharmaceutical company that partners with the NFL, highlights how prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests can help screen prostate cancer.
If you didn’t see the ad — The gist of it is to show men, there are ways to determine if they may have prostate cancer that do not involve uncomfortable rectal examinations. Thus, they can “relax” their backsides because it’s a poke from a blood draw – not a poke in the rear.
The ad features football greats Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle as well as Super Bowl winning coach and prostate cancer survivor, Bruce Arians – relaxing in pools, doing yoga, painting, hanging out in hammocks and enjoying spa treatments.
Early Detection of Prostate Cancer
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. The ad is a call to action for men to check out the Relax It’s a Blood Test website where they can find information about testing guidelines, where they can get screened and other information as well.
More importantly, the ad starts a conversation among men about screening and about the disease.
Prostate Cancer Screening
So, when you should start screening? Talk to your doctor about family history and health issues. That can influence when you start. Keep in mind doctors and researchers have differing views.
Here are guidelines from the Prostate Cancer Foundation:
- If you have a family history of prostate cancer or if you are African American, screening should begin at age 40.
- If you don’t have a family history or you’re not African American, screening can start at age 45.
- African American men, those of Scandinavian descent and anyone with a family history of prostate cancer is at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. So, talk to your doctor about prostate health or see a urologist, who specializes in prostate health.
The United States Preventative Services Task Force or (USPSTF) has the following recommendations:
- For men aged 55 to 69, having periodic screenings with the PSA test, should be an individual decision.
- The USPSTF cautions that for some men, screening can lead to a false positive that can require additional testing, which can lead to complications.
- The USPSTF doesn’t recommend screening for those older than 70.
But best guidance is to be your own advocate. You know your body. And if something seems amiss, talk to your doctor.
CyberKnife for Prostate Cancer
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, you have treatment options depending on the type and stage of cancer, your age and your health.
Surgery, chemotherapy, other drug therapies and radiation all treat prostate cancer. Sometimes doctors use a combination of treatments. The experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami, the state-of-the-art, free-standing radiation cancer treatment center in South Florida, are here to help.
CyberKnife Miami uses non-invasive radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer.
While there are different types of radiation for prostate cancer, our experts believe stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT – the type of radiation used by CyberKnife has some distinct advantages.
“CyberKnife has few side effects. Its pinpoint radiation beams hit only the tumor, dissolving it, so we can give a much higher dose with a lot fewer treatments, leaving healthy surrounding tissue unharmed. There’s over 20 years of published studies support,” says Dr. Mark Pomper, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of CyberKnife Miami.
Plus, CyberKnife has a very high success rate treating prostate cancer, according to CyberKnife Miami, about 95% when detected early.
- It’s noninvasive so there are no risks of surgery like infection and long periods of downtime.
- CyberKnife’s treatments can be done in five therapy sessions over 10 days instead of 42 over three months with other types of radiation treatments.
- The CyberKnife radiation beams, which target and destroy the tumor, are exceedingly precise so there is less risk of side effects including impotence and incontinence.
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, call CyberKnife Miami for a consultation at 305-279-2900 or go to our prostate cancer website now for more information.