Doctors hope TV personality’s prostate cancer diagnosis brings awareness - WPRI.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Longtime morning television host and meteorologist Al Roker revealed Friday on the “Today” show that he was battling prostate cancer, and urged others to get yearly screenings in the process.

Roker, 66, said he will undergo surgery to have his prostate removed this week.

“It’s a good news/bad news kind of thing,” Roker said Friday. “Good news is we caught it early. Not great news is that it’s a little aggressive, so I’m going to be taking some time off to take care of this.”

Roker said he publicly revealed his diagnosis to bring awareness to the number of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer, saying, “it’s a little more common than I think people realize.”

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), prostate cancer is rare in men younger than 40, but the chance of having prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50. About 6 in 10 cases of prostate cancer are found in men older than 65.

“It’s a public service that he did, because he is raising awareness,” said Dr. Gyan Pareek, the director of the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute (MIUI) at The Miriam Hospital.

Announcements like Roker’s sometimes result in more calls from patients asking to be screened, according to Dr. Pareek.

“I think more people are interested at that moment,” he said. “Unfortunately, that usually goes away, that little spike, but I think that’s now our job to continue that awareness and get into communities where they may not have access to seeing Al Roker getting diagnosed.”

Dr. Pareek also said Movember, held annually in November, raises awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

“It’s very confusing, because prostate cancer treatment can lead to a lot of secondary issues that men are very afraid of,” he added. “It’s having that discussion with a urologist, and getting educated on it.”

Guidelines suggest men over the age of 55 get screened for prostate cancer if they have no risk factors, Dr. Pareek said, noting that Roker was at higher risk due to his race.

Prostate Cancer Causes, Risk Factors and Prevention (American Cancer Society) »

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer develops more often in African-American men and Caribbean men of African ancestry than in men of other races.

“That sub-group does get cancer at an earlier age, and it’s a little bit more aggressive when they do get it,” he said, adding that the exact reason why those races are at higher risk is not known at this time.

Dr. Pareek advises African Americans get screened 10 years earlier than those who have no risk factors. Family history of prostate cancer would also be a reason to get screened early.

“Even taking that one step further: if you have someone who had prostate cancer who then had treatment, or who had high risk, that takes it to another level,” Pareek said. “So, there’s a lot of little nuances there, and that’s why I think awareness, screening and then having that conversation is important.”

Dr. Pareek said every case is different, but Roker going in for surgical therapy this week is “a good indicator” that his cancer was caught early and is under some control.

The American Cancer Society says other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. The group estimates there will be roughly 192,000 new cases of prostate cancer and 33,000 prostate cancer deaths in the United States this year.