Jerry Martin had his first prostate cancer examination, chalking up the hesitation partially to a typical guy quirk.
“Men don’t normally go to a doctor until something drastic happens or it’s too late,” said Martin, 51, during the free screening sponsored by the National Prostate Cancer Coalition at the Chicago Police Department’s 5th District headquarters at 727 E. 111th St.
But there’s another reason, arguably the biggest: The exam is performed with a finger shoved up what many consider to be an exit only. Indeed, Martin admitted he felt “like I was violated” but added, “I guess it’s for a good deed.”
It’s good for Martin and thousands of African-American guys to be tested annually starting at age 40, said Chicago’s Dr. Byron Reed, who conducted exams for the coalition from a 39-foot Airstream trailer offering free exams.
One in every four African-American men gets prostate cancer, and it is lethal for black guys at 2.5 times the rate it is for whites, according to the coalition, adding that one Chicago man dies every three days from the disease.
“The reasons why, they’re not quite sure,” Reed said. “Some feel it might be higher level of testosterone, but it also could be dietary factors, high-fat diet, other things.”
Reed said a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which measures the level of the protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland in the blood, also should be done with the exam.
Reed and others said guys should “man up” to block the disease’s destructive path.
“A lot of brothers have to get past that stigma of the rectal exam,” said Cornell Bethea, a 43-year-old police officer who had his prostate checked. “It could save your life.”
For more information, contact the National Prostate Cancer Coalition at 202-463-9455, or visit www.fightprostatecancer.org.
