COLUMBUS — Columbus Community Hospital will provide free prostate cancer screenings June 3 through June 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the CCH lab on 110 Shult Dr. in Columbus. The screenings are open to men 50 and older and those with a prior diagnosis of an abnormal prostate reading.
The prostate cancer screen is a simple blood test that measures the level of prostate-specific anti gens (PSA) in the blood. Elevated PSA levels can be an indicator of prostate cancer, as well as other prostate conditions.
“Making health care resources available and accessible is part of our commitment to our community as an independent, nonprofit hospital," said James Vanek, CEO of Columbus Community Hospital. “This free screening test can save lives, and I hope everyone who is eligible takes advantage of it."
Nearly one in eight men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is treatable -- the five-year survival rate for local ized prostate cancer -cancer that hasn't spread beyond the prostate- is nearly 100 percent. Early detection allows patients and their doctors to seek treatment options prior to the disease advancing to a more serious stage.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society recommend prostate screenings for men over the age of 50. Certain risk factors, like a family history of prostate cancer, can make screenings important to consider for men as young as 40.
