Please contact your doctor about getting a prostate cancer screening if you are experiencing the following symptoms or meet the age requirement. Painful urination, trouble urinating, trouble holding urine, or trouble emptying your bladder. If you find blood in your urine or semen. Constant pain in your lower back, hips, thighs, or pelvis. Having trouble getting or keeping an erection. Get screened at age 40 if multiple family members have ever been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Get screened at the age of 45 if you are African American or if only one of your family members has ever been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Get screened at age 50 if your doctor has determined you are at average risk.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms your doctor can perform one of two screening tests. The Digital Rectal Examination or the Prostate-Specific antigen blood test. The DRE is performed by the doctor inserting a gloved and lubricated finer into the man's rectum to feel for any abnormalities of the prostate through the bowel wall. The PSA test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen in the man's blood. Measuring PSA will detect early-stage prostate cancer in men that have many risk factors. This will allow men to get treatment quickly before cancer spreads.

Colorectal Screening

Did you know colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States? Screening tests are crucial for preventing colorectal cancers or finding cancers early, when treatment works best.

The American Cancer Society lowered the screening age for colon cancer to 45 because of an increase in younger people being diagnosed with the disease. Colon cancer is not a male specific disease, such as prostate cancer. In fact, one in 24 women are being diagnosed with colon cancer each year and one in every 22 men are diagnosed with the disease.

To schedule a colonoscopy or learn more about colon cancer, call 501-852-1360 or visit the Conway Regional Gastroenterology Center.