Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
As we celebrate Father’s Day, it’s a good time to think about health issues that affect men. When you get together with your father, son, brother or other male family members, take some time to talk about your family health history.
Dr. Yair Lotan, a urologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says prostate cancer affects one in six men throughout their lifetime, and family history of the cancer is one of the best predictors of the disease. The risk doubles if one family member has had prostate cancer, and the risk can increase up to 11 times if there are multiple close relatives who’ve had this cancer. The good news is that prostate cancer is highly curable if it’s detected and treated early enough. Men with a family history of prostate cancer should begin having annual physical exams and prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, tests every year, and they should share their results with family members.
Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/urology to learn more about UT Southwestern’s clinical services in urology.
