Prostate Cancer Screenings Awareness

Screening consists of a simple procedure that includes a blood test and exam

St. John’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital (SJPVH), which are Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals, aim to highlight the importance of being screened for prostate cancer, the most common cancer diagnosis and second leading cause of cancer death among American men. 

In its early stages, prostate cancer does not have any noticeable symptoms. If however, a man with prostate cancer waits to act until he has symptoms, the cancer may already have grown outside the prostate and progressed to the point where it is rarely curable. Regular screening offers the best way to maximize a man's chances of discovering the cancer while it is still in its earliest and most curable stages. This screening test only takes minutes to complete, and could be life-saving. 

“Why take the risk of not testing for prostate cancer? Screenings are readily available and the disease is treatable if caught early,” says Dr. Kelvin S. Wong, a Urologist at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. “September is prostate cancer awareness month and Dignity Health wants to get the message out that early detection saves lives.” 

In recognition of this important month of awareness, St. John’s Cancer Center of Ventura County urges men age 45 to 75 to get a prostate screening every one to two years. The prostate makes a substance called prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and the levels of PSA are measured in a blood test. Levels can be high for many reasons, but if concerned, your physician may refer to you to a urology specialist for further testing. 

For more information on how to schedule a screening, please call our nurse navigator at (805) 988-2641. St. John’s Cancer Center of Ventura County is located at 1700 N. Rose Ave., suite 380, Oxnard, CA 93030.