McKee Medical Center plans panel to discuss prostate cancer treatments

LOVELAND, Colo. (Sept. 10, 2009) – September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Three local physicians will discuss the latest treatments for men diagnosed with prostate cancer – an illness that affects one man in six during his lifetime.
 
The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at the McKee Conference and Wellness Center, 2000 Boise Ave. It is open to the public and free of charge. A light meal will be served and RSVPs are requested. Please call (970) 635-4031.

Radiation oncologist Joshua Petit, MD, will talk about exciting advances in radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer. Urologist Benjamin Girdler, MD, will discuss surgical options including minimally invasive surgery with robotics. Hematologist/Oncologist Samuel Shelanski, MD, will review developments in systemic therapy for prostate cancer.

Because prostate cancer often grows slowly, men may take time to carefully research the various treatment options. The panelists for this event hope to provide information and answer questions that can help prostate cancer patients better understand the treatments available.

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer. Prostate cancer is second to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in men. One man in six will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, and one in 35 will die of this disease.

More than 2 million men in the United States who have had prostate cancer at some point are still alive today. Thanks to advances in screening and treatment, the death rate for prostate cancer is going down, and the disease is being found earlier, too, according to the American Cancer Society.