[Leader]

I too was in my mid-50s when diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer. My PSA score had been inching up, but its increases had become more dramatic, often an indicator of something going on. However, my PSA was only 4.2 which is just a little on the high side.
Thankfully, my internist's digital exam during my physical prompted him to refer me to a Urologist at UCLA. Following a biopsy (not my favorite procedure), I was diagnosed with cancer. At my age the radical prostetectomy (surgery) was clearly the best solution.
They removed my prostate, my seminal vesicles, and several nearby lymph nodes. Sounds awful, but it was not.
Following surgery your blood and urine are checked at regular intervals and the PSA is calculated. Almost a year later, I'm still at PSA zero, which simply means, if any of the prostate cancer escaped into my system before the surgery, it hasn't manifested itself yet.
The PSA test is easy and painless...it's just another panel on a routine blood workup. I'd encourage any of you over 40 to ask your doctor to do this extra test every time you have a physical. Then as you age, you can see if your PSA is going up, and more importantly, how fast it's going up.
This form of cancer has NO REAL SYMPTOMS until it's pretty late in the game.
Prostate cancer rates in this country are going up dramatically. I'm betting within a few years, we'll know why. I sure hope it doesn't turn out to be beer.