Newspaper Page Text
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♦ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2005
Prostate Cancer Can Be Prevented
Living a healthy lifestyle
and knowing the facts about
prostate cancer screening,
especially if at high risk,
may greatly reduce the risk
of developing prostate can
cer. Houston Healthcare is
sponsoring its annual
Prostate Cancer Awareness
Luncheon on Thursday,
Sept. 15, at the Houston
Health Pavilion EduCare
Center in Warner Robins.
Dr. Kenneth D. Deaton, Jr.,
oncologist, will be the guest
speaker.
Lunch will be served at
11:30 a.m. Pre-registration
is required.
Call 923-9771 for more
information and to pre-reg
ister.
Prostate cancer is the
most common type of cancer
found in American men,
other than skin cancer.
According to the ACS,
prostate cancer is the second
leading cause of cancer
death in men, second only to
lung cancer. The American
Cancer Society (ACS) esti
mates that there will be
approximately 232,090 new
cases of prostate cancer in
the United States in 2005.
Unfortunately, approxi
mately 30,350 men will die
of this disease.
As a man ages, his
prostate may change and
develop tumors or other
Take Alert lor Coaiaiaaity Associated Staph lafectioas
Several new strains of
methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA), or staph, infec
tions, have settled into com
munities across the United
States. These types of infec
tions are developed out in
the community and are not
hospital-acquired infections.
Houston Healthcare is
warning physicians and
community members alike
to be on the lookout for this
type of infection in the
Houston County communi
ty.
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC),
Staphylococcus aureus,
often referred to simply as
“staph,” are bacteria com
monly carried on the skin or
in the nose of healthy peo
ple. Staph bacteria are one
of the most common causes
of skin infections in the
United States. Staph bacte
ria that are resistant to
antibiotics such as methi
cillin, oxacillin, penicillin,
and amoxicillin, are referred
to as MRSA (methicillin
resistant Staphylococus
aureus).
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growths, some of which may
or may not be cancerous. In
the early stages of prostate
cancer, when a tumor is
small and contained in the
prostate, there are usually
no symptoms. However, uri
nary problems have been
associated with prostate
cancer and are often misin
terpreted as benign, or non
cancerous, conditions. When
a prostate tumor grows, it
can press on the urethra and
cause problems such as fre
quent urination, especially
at night; trouble starting or
stopping urine flow; weak or
interrupted urine flow;
inability to urinate; pain or
burning sensation while uri
nating; blood in the urine;
and constant pain in the
lower back, pelvis or upper
thighs.
While 75 percent of all
prostate cancer cases are
diagnosed in men over the
age of 65, some young men
are at an increased risk for
prostate cancer as well. A
man is at greater risk for
developing prostate cancer if
he has a strong family histo
ry of the disease; if he is an
African American man; and
if he consumes a diet high in
fat and low in fruits and veg
etables.
While one man in six will
get prostate cancer during
his lifetime, only one man in
Dubbed community-asso
ciated MRSA, or CA-MRSA,
by the CDC, these bacteria
are genetically different
from the more familiar hos
pital-acquired MRSA.
Community-associated
MRSA is infecting healthy
people of all ages who have
not been recently hospital
ized or had a medical proce
dure within the past year.
Often looking like spider
bites or insect stings, the
staph bacteria primarily
cause minor skin and soft
tissue infections such as
painful boils, pimples,
abscesses and cellulitis that
are easily spread from per
son to person. They can also
cause serious infections
such as osteomyelitis and
bloodstream infections.
“We are seeing increasing
numbers of patients in our
Emergency Departments at
both Houston Medical
Center and Perry Hospital,
as well as at the Med Stops,
with community-associated
MRSA infections,” states
Lisa Harris, RN, Infection
Control Practitioner for
Houston Healthcare. “Most
often they come to us with
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HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH
34 will die of this disease.
The death rate for prostate
cancer is decreasing, largely
in part to early detection of
the disease. According to Dr.
Kenneth D. Deaton Jr., an
oncologist and hematologist
and member of the medical
staff of Houston Medical
Center, participation in
early detection screening
programs and diagnosis at
an early stage offers the best
opportunity for successful
treatment.
“Screening for prostate
cancer is important for early
detection,” he explains.
“When found early, there is
a better chance that the dis
ease can be cured or con
trolled through medication,
surgery or radiation.
Screening is recommended
for men over the age of 50
and for those men who are
experiencing any problems.”
Screening examinations
for prostate cancer include:
XProstate-Specific
Antigen (PSA): The PSA
blood test measures a pro
tein made by prostate cells.
High or rising PSA levels
are associated with the pres
ence of prostate cancer.
However, the test alone does
not definitively diagnose
prostate cancer. Conditions
such as non-cancerous
prostate enlargement and
inflammation of the
what they think is an insect
bite or spider bite that will
not heal. What they actually
have is a community-associ
ated MRSA infection.”
The CDC has identified
factors that have been asso
ciated with the spread of
CA-MRSA skin infections to
include close skin-to-skin
contact, cuts or abrasions on
the skin, contaminated
items and surfaces, crowded
living conditions, and poor
personal hygiene. Clusters
of infections have been
investigated among athletes,
children, military recruits,
homosexual men, and pris
oners.
Most MRSA infections are
treatable with antibiotics.
“If a person thinks he or
she has a MRSA infection,
see a healthcare provider,”
explains Harris. “If the
infection is not better after a
few days, contact the health
care provider again for fur
ther treatment. It is very
important that you take all
doses of antibiotics, even if
the infection is getting bet
ter. Never share antibiotics
with others or save unused
doses for use at another
prostate, or prostatitis, can
also cause a borderline or
high PSA test result in men
who do not have prostate
cancer.
Rectal
Examination (DRE): Most
prostate cancers begin in
the posterior part of the
gland, which can be reached
through a digital rectal
examination. During a DRE,
a physician examines the
rectum to feel for any irreg
ular or abnormally firm area
that may be cancer. A health
care professional skilled in
recognizing subtle prostate
abnormalities should per
form a DRE. If an abnormal
finding is detected during
the DRE, then a transrectal
ultrasound will likely be rec
ommended for a more
detailed diagnosis.
Both the ACS and the
National Comprehensive
Cancer Network (NCCN)
recommend the PSA blood
test and the DRE for early
detection of prostate cancer
beginning at age 50 with fol
low up screenings every one
to two years, depending on
the results of the initial
PSA. African American men
and men with a strong fami
ly history of prostate cancer
(such as a father or brother
diagnosed at a young age)
should begin testing at age
45.
time, since these practices
may cause increased resist
ance to antibiotics. Many
staph infections also require
draining the abscess or boil,
but this should only be done
Taking the following simple precau
tions can stop the spread of these com
munity-associated MRSA infections.
1. Practice good hygiene. Keep, hands
clean by washing thoroughly with soap and
water or using an alcohol-based hand sani
tizer.
2. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and cov
ered with a bandage until healed.
3. Avoid contact with other people’s
wounds and/or bandages.
4. Avoid sharing personal items such as
towels or razors.
5. Clean and disinfect shared equipment
and toys after each use.
To prevent spreading staph or MRSA
infections to others, take the following
precautions:
1. Cover your wound. Keep wounds that
are draining or have pus covered with clean,
dry bandages. Follow instructions on proper
\j jf
The Facts of Prostate Cancer:
• Approximately 30,350 men will die from the dis
ease in 2005, and an estimated 232,090 new cases
of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year.
• African-American men have the highest prostate
cancer incidence rates in the world. They will account
for a high proportion of new cases diagnosed in
2005.
• African-American men are nearly twice as likely to
develop prostate cancer as Caucasian men.
• About 85 percent of newly diagnosed prostate
tumors are discovered in local and regional stages,
meaning the tumor has not spread beyond the
prostate.
by a healthcare provider.”
According to Harris, a
staph or MRSA infection can
come back even after it has
been cured. “To prevent this
from happening, follow your
wound care. Pus from infected wounds can
contain staph and MRSA, so keeping the
infection covered will help prevent contami
nation of others. Bandages or tape can be
discarded with the regular trash.
2. Clean your hands. Everyone in close
contact should wash their hands frequently
with soap and warm water or use an alco
hol-based hand sanitizer, especially after
changing the bandage or touching the
infected wound.
3. Do not share personal items. Avoid
sharing personal items such as towels,
washcloths, razors, bar soap, clothing,
equipment, or uniforms that may have had
contact with the infected wound or bandage.
Wash sheets, towels, and clothes that
become soiled with water and laundry deter
gent. Drying clothes in a hot dryer, rather
than air-drying, also helps kill bacteria in
clothes.
4. Talk to your doctor. Tell any healthcare
providers who treat you that you have or had
a staph or MRSA skin infection.
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
physician’B directions while
you have the infection and
take preventive measures
after the infection is gone,”
she says.
Just the kind of care you
would expect from the
physicians of Perry Hospital
and Houston Healthcare.
From surgery to internal
medicine, cardiology to
pediatrics, anesthesiology
to family medicine,
Perry Hospital has
you and your family’s
health and well-being
covered.
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Houston Healthcare
Perry Hospital