November 14 Health and Wellness

Dear Friend,

Prostate cancer is highly treatable, even curable, especially if caught early. That is the good news, and it comes with a consequence many patients don’t know about.

As Dr. Avirup Guha, a cardio-oncologist at Wellstar MCG Health, explained in a PCF webinar: men today are far more likely to live with, and after, prostate cancer than to die from it. About ten years after diagnosis, heart disease becomes the greater risk.

He and Dr. June Chan of the University of California, San Francisco discussed what patients can do about it.

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  Know your numbers. For many men, that means keeping blood pressure below 130/90 (ideally, 130/80). LDL cholesterol under 100, or under 70 if you already have heart disease. Ask your doctor what your numbers should be.

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  Hormone therapy increases your risk. ADT reduces muscle, increases fat, and raises the chance of developing diabetes. The good news? Exercise – like strength training – and diet can offset these effects.

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  Exercise is the most consistent finding in the research. Federal physical activity guidelines state that regular exercise helps men with prostate cancer lower their risk of dying from the disease.

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  One thing the cardiologist wants you to do. Get a cardiovascular evaluation early in your cancer journey, not after something goes wrong. Dr. Guha says he too often meets patients he could have helped two years earlier.

With gratitude,
The Prostate Cancer Foundation Team