In Alberta, one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime.
When detected early, prostate cancer is one of the most successfully treated types of cancer. Last Thursday (Sept. 8), four wheels and friendly smiles rolled up in front of Canmore’s ATB Financial to assist with early detection.
Canada’s first and only mobile men’s health clinic offers Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood testing throughout Calgary and rural southern Alberta. When detected early it is very treatable. A PSA blood test from your family doctor, or a 10-minute trip to the Man Van can aid in early detection.
The staff and volunteers at the Prostate Cancer Centre are dedicated to educating men about the importance of early detection.
“ATB tries to sponsor nine of these events a year and tries to pick different parts of the province. In over five years, we’ve tried to cover as much of the province as we can and encouraged the Man Van to come out to different locations for men to get checked,” said ATB Financial manger Steve MacCuaig.
“If they do have an early onset of prostate cancer, it can be found early and hopefully something can be done before it gets even more serious.”
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, the prostate gland is part of a man’s reproductive and urinary systems. The prostate is oval shaped with a rounded tip. It is approximately four centimetres wide and three cm thick. The actual size of the prostate varies from man to man and it can range from the size of a walnut to a small apple.
The main function of the prostate is to produce the fluid portion of semen. The gland cells within the prostate produce a thin fluid rich in proteins and minerals that maintain and nourish sperm. This fluid is made continuously. The prostate also plays a part in controlling the flow of urine. The urethra runs from the bladder, through the prostate, and out through the penis. The muscle fibres of the prostate are wrapped around the urethra and are under involuntary nervous system control. These fibres contract to slow and stop the flow of urine.
“The PSA is a protein in the blood that we test, and if it’s elevated, it usually means there is something going on with the prostate, which then requires further testing for inflammation and cancer,” said Man Van’s Joanne Skivsted.
The Man Van mobile baseline PSA testing unit offers on-the-spot baseline PSA blood tests, blood sugar, blood pressure and body mass index testing for men over 40 during scheduled clinics.
Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC) is a non-profit, world-class medical centre with a mandate to help improve the quality of men’s lives and their family’s lives for those living with prostate cancer. Annually there are over 13,000 visits by these men and their families to access multiple programs and services at the centre.
Visit www.prostatecancercentre.ca for more information towards PCC, and to stay up-to-date on its upcoming mobile screening and testing events.
