WOODWAY, TX — Only lung cancer kills more men than prostate cancer.
What's it like to go through diagnosis, treatment and recovery?
Cancer survivor Curt Lancaster lives today because of how seriously he took the disease, and the skill of his doctors.
"When somebody tells you, 'You have cancer' boy, that's a cold slap right there" said Curt Lancaster, a broadcaster since his teenage years, who has led a busy life.
Doctors started testing him for prostate cancer as he got older.
"Prostate cancer can be detected early. And the way that we detect prostate cancer is a combination of a lab test called a PSA, and usually an examination with a rectal exam," explained Urologist Dr. Preston Milburn, of Baylor Scott & White, Hillcrest.
Shortly after age 50, Lancaster says doctors noticed a protein level that caught their attention.
”PSA Level was starting to go up. It was a little click every time I saw the doctor. Did you notice any symptoms? No, zero,” he said.
Doctors watched it for a while because there's no sure fire test for prostate cancer.
"PSA screening is an imperfect marker it's not a prostate cancer its a regular old protein the prostate makes," said Dr. Milburn.
Lancaster uncovered no history of prostate cancer in his family and had no symptoms.
"Actually more common than not because if there's appropriate screening done, we catch potential disease at a very early stage," explained Dr. Dominic Nguyen, Radiation Oncology Specialist at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest.
Which explains no symptoms, but with his PSA levels on the rise, doctors ordered Lancaster to undergo a biopsy.
"Then they did the test, 12 shots in the prostate. 10 out of the 12 tested positive, a pretty sure sign I had prostate cancer," he said.
