CTCA and NFL Alumni Team Collaborate to Fight Prostate Cancer

Cancer Treatment Centers of ^America® (CTCA) and the National Football League Alumni Association are working together to spread the word about the importance of prostate cancer screening. The initiative, called “Prostate Pep Talk,” will be broadcast on television and online during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September. In a series of PSAs, three of the NFL’s most famous coaches — Dick Vermeil, Herm Edwards and Bill Coyer — speak candidly about prostate cancer and why early detection is vital to help spot the disease before it spreads.

“We are here because we have great respect for being aggressive about attacking a serious problem among men in the United States, prostate cancer,” former NFL coach Dick Vermeil said in one of the videos. “We’ve all lost friends, we’ve all lost common friends.”

How common is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men after skin cancer. One in seven American men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. However, despite the severity and spread of the disease, many men choose to skip routine tests, which is the only step that can help them detect prostate cancer early, when they have higher and longer survival rates.

^{Says Dr. Murray Markman, chief of medicine and sciences} at CTCA® . “By partnering with the NFLA, we are highlighting this important issue nationally and encouraging men to play when it comes to their health.”

Tests that detect most prostate cancers include the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which measures PSA levels in the blood, and a digital rectal exam (DRE), in which your doctor inserts a gloved finger into your rectum to check the size of your prostate. The shape and texture of the irregularities marks.

“It’s not unmanly to talk to a guy about a prostate exam,” says retired NFL coach Bill Coyer. “Raising awareness and talking about it is the only way to get people to get tested more often.”

The need for examinations

“In the world we live in, there will be someone you know, whether it’s a relative, family member, or friend, who has had or ravaged cancer,” says retired NFL coach Herm Edwards. “It’s one of those things that we’re constantly trying to find a cure for. I think it starts with being able to make sure you get annual medical exams, and check-ups, to find out before you use it or it’s too late.”

The medical community does not agree with whether men should get tested, and instead urge men to talk to their doctors about whether and when they should get tested. The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Urological Society recommend that testing begin at age 40 for people at high risk, and the American Cancer Society says that screening should begin at age 50 for the general population.

If you’re not sure what to do, learn about your prostate cancer risk and talk to your doctor about getting tested. Nearly 3 million American men are prostate cancer survivors. Because the disease has no warning signs or symptoms, screening tests can help find it before it spreads.

“When you look at something like prostate cancer, it’s something that can be easily detected, at least early,” Cowhere says. “Getting a PSA test, and getting a yearly checkup, is a very small sacrifice to be able to detect something that can be very deadly.”