Screenings key to good prostate health

Sept. 16, 2005

TRACY KALYTIAK\Frontiersman assistant editor

MAT-SU - The possibility of cancer wasn't uppermost on Carl Gatto's mind five years ago when he drove to a local urologist's office for a prostate screening. Arithmetic was what convinced him to go.

"It usually costs about 50 bucks for a blood test, 100 bucks for an office visit," the state representative from Palmer said in a phone interview Wednesday. "This was only 10 bucks. I had had an exit exam from the fire department and it was normal. Why would I, in seven months, go back and do another one? Because it seemed like I could get current for 10 bucks. It seemed like a good idea."

Staff at Dr. Greg Lund's office drew a vial of Gatto's blood. The levels of prostate-specific antigen in it had nearly doubled in the seven months since Gatto's final fire department physical, which indicated a cancer might exist. And, Lund felt something suspicious when he performed a digital exam of Gatto's prostate.

A biopsy confirmed Gatto, then 62, had cancer in his prostate, a walnut-sized gland surrounding the urethra at the base of the bladder. Gatto then went through surgery, bone and CT scans, hormone therapy and chemo. His hair fell out.

But five years later, he's still alive, and urging other men to go to one of the two free prostate-cancer screenings Lund has scheduled from 1-4 p.m. today and 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, at Suite 207 of Valley Hospital Medical Center, Wasilla. The clinics will offer a physician exam and PSA blood test. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To schedule an exam, people may call 376-9166.

To men who argue that they don't want to know if something's wrong, or worry about incontinence or impotence, Gatto has a response.

"It's anti-manly, isn't it? Your male reproductive organs are affected by it. It's not someplace you want to go. But it could kill you!" he said. "If you wait, believe me, the cancer never stops growing. If you wait, it doesn't care."

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men. Health experts anticipate that more than 230,000 American men - one out of every six - will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. More than 30,000 men will die from prostate cancer in 2005.

Although screening guidelines vary, the Prostate Cancer Education Council recommends men older than 45, or at-risk men over the age of 40, be screened annually. Screenings take about 10 minutes and include a PSA blood test and a digital rectal exam done by a trained professional. In the physical exam, the doctor is looking for bumps or abnormalities on the surface of the prostate that might be tumor growth.

"Men should make it a priority to get screened," Lund said in a previously published article. "The best way to beat prostate cancer is by detecting it at its earliest stage. There is no excuse for not being tested. With more awareness, early detection and treatment, we hope to achieve survival rates of 100 percent."

Risk of prostate cancer increases with age. Prostate cancer is rare for men under the age of 40, and most cases occur in men over the age of 65. Men with a father or brother with prostate cancer are twice as likely to get the disease. Men with three relatives diagnosed with prostate cancer are almost guaranteed to get it.

The screenings in the Valley are part of the national Prostate Cancer Awareness Week campaign, which began in 1989 and resulted in a tripling in the number of research dollars earmarked for prostate cancer. The event has also raised awareness of the importance of early detection of prostate cancer - nearly 60 percent of new cases are localized and potentially curable.

Gatto says he will have to be vigilant for the rest of his life. He walks every day with his wife, Cathy. He's added fiber and glucosamine to his diet, faithfully takes his prescription medications and consults his physician regularly. Bone and CT scans done three weeks ago appeared clean.

"I do lab work once a month, but it's only so we can keep close track of monitoring it," Gatto said. "You can control and manage these things for a long time. We've managed it after five years. You have to be active.

"We're pretty pleased with the way things have gone," he said. "Someone's watching over me."

Contact Tracy Kalytiak at 352-2270 or tracy.wilson@ frontiersman.com.