ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - With the news of Former President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis, medical experts are urging men to receive routine health screenings, especially prostate exams.

According to Dr. Adam Jones with Phoebe Putney, as men age, their risk for prostate cancer increases. But, he says, men in our region are at a higher risk of getting prostate cancer-- and more likely to get it earlier in life.

|READ MORE: Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer|

“I’ll pick on myself here a little. We men, we just like to delay things and defer things. We’re not good at taking notes. We’re not good at following directions. We are sometimes scared of the doctor, and we don’t like talking about things,” said Dr. Jones.

According to doctors, the only way to know if you have prostate cancer is to get screened. Frequent screenings lead to early detection.

Doctors say that when prostate cancer is identified early enough, in stages one or two, patients have a 90 to 100% cure rate. Prostate cancer detected in the third or fourth stage is manageable, but not curable.

“By the time it spreads to bones, blood, and lymph nodes, it’s not curative. It’s not curable. Men will end up taking some form of treatment for the rest of their life. And every year, it will get a bit tougher. The total treatments start to weigh on the patient and can affect everything from quality of life and other health indices,” continued Dr. Jones.

Frank Wilson is an Albany resident and prostate cancer survivor. He frequently speaks on the importance of annual male health screenings. He says prostate exams used to be uncomfortable and unpleasant, but now, with medical advancements, he says men have no reason not to get regular check-ups.

“I know that a lot of men are apprehensive about going to get checked for a PSA. Now, it’s a blood draw. There is no kind of rectal exam, there is just a blood draw now. So, I am encouraging men to get checked,” said Wilson.

Phoebe Putney will hold its annual free Men’s Health Fair during Father’s Day weekend on Saturday, June 14. Attendees can receive free health screenings, including prostate exams.

For more information on the Men’s Health Fair, click here.

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