Re: “Prostate cancer common, but often treatable,” by Eric Russell, Page A8, June 23:

Any coverage of prostate cancer alerts men to a likely health challenge. At age 80, more than 80 percent will have enlarged prostates and 80 percent will have cancer cells in their prostate.

But coverage of this challenge pales to that of other health topics, such as breast cancer, and I challenge the Press Herald to provide more, hopefully fully researched, coverage.

Future coverage should address why men are denied a prostate-specific antigen test (which measures benign as well as cancer tissue growth), when this test and a digital rectal exam are often the only ways to know something is happening in the prostate before it becomes difficult to manage.

Advanced-stage prostate cancer is yet another topic, as it involves the spreading of prostate cancer to bones, the lymph system and organs, if not death.

As to the survival rate, more must be said. Since prostate cancer can occur as early as age 40, men need to know about survival outcomes of 10 and 15 years, if not more, since managing prostate cancer is the only way they will live to see their children graduate and get married.

A 95 percent survival rate at five years is scary, as it leaves a big question about what happens after five years. Questions of testing, treatment options and life expectancy for prostate cancer are central to men gaining confidence about this future health challenge.

Sen. Angus King’s experience alerts men to prostate cancer, but the coverage does not do enough to bring home that it is something that at least 80 percent of men will have to deal with if they expect to reach age 80.

Richard G. Maynard

eight-year prostate cancer survivor

Harrison

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