20-05-2025
Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis prompts questions about screening for average Americans
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – Just four months after leaving office, President Biden has revealed he has advanced prostate cancer and medical experts characterize it as aggressive. Suddenly prostate cancer is in the news, prompting some to wonder how prevalent it is among American men, how it can be prevented, and what treatment options are available.
Americans have largely rallied around the threat of breast cancer but we don't seem to see the same level of concern when it comes to prostate cancer. Why is that? Could President Biden's diagnosis change that?
One would hope.
The former president's diagnosis is yet another reminder that cancer is not impressed by power, money or notoriety.
Screening for prostate cancer is so simple. It's the unwillingness that is the downfall. We all know what that pink ribbon means. This uniquely male malady is a different story. It is not so romanticized, if we can use that term.
Some may be surprised to learn the two cancers are related.
Dr. Ravi Patel has been treating various cancers throughout a distinguished career with his Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center on Truxtun Avenue in west Bakersfield.
'One in eight women will get breast cancer,' Patel said. 'One in roughly nine will get prostate cancer. But there is a connection, and a very deep connection. Certain genes, which are called the PcrA gene, are found also in prostate cancer. So it can behave in a similar way.'
Which means, since those cancers can be hereditary, a family history of breast cancer can be an indicator of the increased threat of prostate cancer, and vice versa.
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Leonard Zasoski's life was dramatically impacted by prostate cancer years before it actually invaded his body.
His father, Leonard Zasoski Sr., was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 55, and he died from it at age 57.
Now Zasocki himself is a 13-year survivor of the all-too-common growth that attacks the walnut-sized male reproductive gland. More than a survivor – he is a vocal proponent of vigilance.
Problem is, many men would prefer not to think about the nether region where the prostate resides – never mind endure the quick and painless but somewhat notorious screening. But he's a big advocate of the digital exam – and of the complementary PSA blood test. It saved his life.
'I had mine,' he said. 'It came up at the age of 49, (and) at 50 I was diagnosed with it – very early on. Very fortunate because of the PSA test, which caught mine early and I chose to have a radical prostatectomy because I've seen the other side and decided I wanted it taken out, and 13 plus years now I've been here.'
When is the right time to get one's first screening?
'I would definitely by 50,' Zasoski said. 'Just get a baseline. That way you sorta know where you are. If everything is good and clear, you know, most of the time it's not real aggressive, again, quote, most of the time. If not, go back in a year later and get it checked, but don't skip two or three years.'
Patel knows men may be reluctant to undergo routine testing.
'Understandably they don't want a rectal exam,' he said, 'so they'll skip or, you know, prolong it, but a good, determined primary care physician will make sure that they get it done.'
Moral of the story: Get a simple and painless PSA screening asap,, guys, if you haven't done so recently, and pay attention to the risk factors of this highly preventable but very common cancer. As for the digital screening: Get over it – it's just an index finger.
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