1 00:00:07,173 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast 2 00:00:10,613 --> 00:00:11,813 Speaker 1: from Newstalks EDB. 3 00:00:12,853 --> 00:00:14,613 Speaker 2: Twenty one to eleven on News Talks. The'd be It 4 00:00:14,693 --> 00:00:18,293 Speaker 2: is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. There are still four thousand 5 00:00:18,293 --> 00:00:21,133 Speaker 2: New Zealand men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, 6 00:00:21,173 --> 00:00:24,373 Speaker 2: and seven hundred men die from prostate cancer every year. 7 00:00:24,533 --> 00:00:27,333 Speaker 2: Doctor Brian Betty is with us this morning, Calter Brian. 8 00:00:27,493 --> 00:00:31,493 Speaker 2: Clearly those numbers indicate it's still a really significant problem. 9 00:00:31,573 --> 00:00:34,533 Speaker 2: It's the second highest cause of cancer death in New Zealand. Men. 10 00:00:35,733 --> 00:00:38,493 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, it is jacket. It is a real 11 00:00:38,853 --> 00:00:41,693 Speaker 3: issue for men. And you know, we've talked previously about 12 00:00:41,733 --> 00:00:46,333 Speaker 3: men sort of I suppose being bulletproof and not taking 13 00:00:46,413 --> 00:00:49,413 Speaker 3: note of their health. And yet these stats are really 14 00:00:49,413 --> 00:00:52,613 Speaker 3: really alarming that four thousand minute year are diagnosed. Now, 15 00:00:52,613 --> 00:00:54,893 Speaker 3: there's something you can do about it, which we'll talk about, 16 00:00:55,213 --> 00:00:57,493 Speaker 3: and that's what's really important that I think men need 17 00:00:57,533 --> 00:01:02,093 Speaker 3: to be proactive around something like prostate cancer because you 18 00:01:02,213 --> 00:01:05,013 Speaker 3: can pick it up early, you can diagnose it early, 19 00:01:05,493 --> 00:01:07,693 Speaker 3: and you can cure it, and that I think is 20 00:01:08,133 --> 00:01:11,973 Speaker 3: the big big thing. And in fact, interestingly enough, over time, 21 00:01:12,013 --> 00:01:14,213 Speaker 3: what we have seen is that the number of men 22 00:01:14,293 --> 00:01:17,133 Speaker 3: being diagnosed as going up, but the death rate is 23 00:01:17,173 --> 00:01:19,933 Speaker 3: going down because we're picking up the cancers earlier, and 24 00:01:19,973 --> 00:01:23,413 Speaker 3: that's really really important. So if you are diagnosed with 25 00:01:24,053 --> 00:01:28,213 Speaker 3: prostate cancer, you know, survival rate over five years is 26 00:01:28,253 --> 00:01:31,813 Speaker 3: about ninety five percent and ninety percent I think will 27 00:01:31,813 --> 00:01:34,813 Speaker 3: be alive after ten years, and that's that's often because 28 00:01:34,813 --> 00:01:37,213 Speaker 3: we are picking up the cancer earlier, it can be 29 00:01:37,293 --> 00:01:41,093 Speaker 3: treated or the other other issue that ariseses. Sometimes the 30 00:01:41,133 --> 00:01:45,053 Speaker 3: cancers grow very very slowly and they won't kill you. 31 00:01:45,093 --> 00:01:47,493 Speaker 3: So yeah, this early detection thing. 32 00:01:47,533 --> 00:01:49,933 Speaker 2: Is really really important, absolutely vital. So what are the 33 00:01:49,973 --> 00:01:51,933 Speaker 2: symptoms that can indicate prostate cancer? 34 00:01:52,573 --> 00:01:54,773 Speaker 3: Yeah, so look, it's important to look out for any 35 00:01:54,773 --> 00:01:56,853 Speaker 3: and who's listening to this need to watch out for this. 36 00:01:57,053 --> 00:02:00,293 Speaker 3: So I suppose the key things. If you suddenly find 37 00:02:00,293 --> 00:02:04,573 Speaker 3: that you need to start to urinate urgently because the 38 00:02:04,613 --> 00:02:06,973 Speaker 3: prostate sits at the base of the black and it's 39 00:02:07,053 --> 00:02:09,413 Speaker 3: increasing in size, it starts to put pressure on the bladder. 40 00:02:09,453 --> 00:02:13,533 Speaker 3: So this urinating early urgently becomes a slight issue. Maybe 41 00:02:13,573 --> 00:02:16,573 Speaker 3: difficulty in getting started with your urine or a weak 42 00:02:16,893 --> 00:02:19,253 Speaker 3: urine stream so you notice it's not as strong as 43 00:02:19,293 --> 00:02:22,213 Speaker 3: it normally is. Or dribbling after you're finished. So these 44 00:02:22,253 --> 00:02:25,133 Speaker 3: are very specific symptoms that can occur or blood in 45 00:02:25,173 --> 00:02:29,293 Speaker 3: the urine is something you should always always get checked. Now. 46 00:02:29,533 --> 00:02:32,493 Speaker 3: The thing to note, though, there are other reasons for 47 00:02:32,573 --> 00:02:35,533 Speaker 3: those symptoms. We need to be carefully here. There are 48 00:02:35,533 --> 00:02:39,693 Speaker 3: other benign, non cancerous reasons. Probably the commonest is something 49 00:02:39,733 --> 00:02:43,613 Speaker 3: called benign prostatic hypertrcy. That's where the prostate gradually gets 50 00:02:43,693 --> 00:02:46,373 Speaker 3: larger over time, and most men over the age of 51 00:02:46,413 --> 00:02:49,373 Speaker 3: fifty get that. That's what happens, and that's majority of 52 00:02:49,413 --> 00:02:53,253 Speaker 3: these symptoms is due to that. There's another one called prostatitis, 53 00:02:53,253 --> 00:02:55,013 Speaker 3: where you get an infection in the prostate and that 54 00:02:55,053 --> 00:02:58,453 Speaker 3: can cause similis or the symptoms. So it may not 55 00:02:58,533 --> 00:03:02,573 Speaker 3: be prostate cancer. It's causing the symptoms. However, it could be, 56 00:03:02,933 --> 00:03:05,453 Speaker 3: which is why it's so so important. If you start 57 00:03:05,493 --> 00:03:08,693 Speaker 3: to develop that and notice that these please go to 58 00:03:08,733 --> 00:03:12,373 Speaker 3: your GP and get it checked. That's probably the biggest 59 00:03:12,413 --> 00:03:15,013 Speaker 3: thing here to work out what's going on and. 60 00:03:14,933 --> 00:03:17,373 Speaker 2: What should we be doing as a kind of proactive 61 00:03:17,453 --> 00:03:18,973 Speaker 2: check for prostate cancer. 62 00:03:19,813 --> 00:03:23,973 Speaker 3: Yeah, no, this is really important. So what's been sort 63 00:03:24,013 --> 00:03:27,213 Speaker 3: of recommended, certainly by the Prostate Cancer Society in New 64 00:03:27,293 --> 00:03:30,093 Speaker 3: Zealand and sort of backed by a lot of practitioners. Now, 65 00:03:30,853 --> 00:03:33,013 Speaker 3: is that from the age of fifty years on which 66 00:03:33,213 --> 00:03:35,133 Speaker 3: you should really go and have a chat to your 67 00:03:35,173 --> 00:03:39,613 Speaker 3: doctor about getting a prostate check. Okay, So now if 68 00:03:39,613 --> 00:03:41,933 Speaker 3: you've got a family history, so you've had a father, 69 00:03:42,093 --> 00:03:46,053 Speaker 3: a brother, or close reality who's had prostate cancer early on, 70 00:03:46,173 --> 00:03:48,333 Speaker 3: then from the age of forty you should be having 71 00:03:48,333 --> 00:03:53,173 Speaker 3: that discussion. Now, the checks are relatively simple, so if 72 00:03:53,173 --> 00:03:55,853 Speaker 3: you decide to have one, it's a blood test called 73 00:03:55,853 --> 00:03:59,853 Speaker 3: a PSA and if that's elevated, it could indicate a problem, 74 00:04:00,093 --> 00:04:02,333 Speaker 3: but it may not be, and that's again really important 75 00:04:02,373 --> 00:04:04,733 Speaker 3: that it could be something like this side lunch process 76 00:04:04,853 --> 00:04:08,573 Speaker 3: is not cancer, but indicate cancer. The other thing we 77 00:04:08,613 --> 00:04:11,093 Speaker 3: do is a quick what's called rectal examination where we 78 00:04:11,133 --> 00:04:13,453 Speaker 3: feel the prostate through the rectum and we can just 79 00:04:13,493 --> 00:04:15,853 Speaker 3: feel if it's getting enlarged or there's any lumps or 80 00:04:15,893 --> 00:04:18,853 Speaker 3: bumps or anything we should be worried about. Now, if 81 00:04:18,893 --> 00:04:22,053 Speaker 3: the PSA is going up, we sometimes just watch it 82 00:04:22,093 --> 00:04:25,333 Speaker 3: and see what's going on, or we need to sort 83 00:04:25,333 --> 00:04:27,533 Speaker 3: of intervene and sort of start to think about some 84 00:04:27,573 --> 00:04:28,453 Speaker 3: additional tests. 85 00:04:28,573 --> 00:04:31,693 Speaker 2: Yeah, right, Okay, talk to us about treatment, then what happens. 86 00:04:32,573 --> 00:04:35,213 Speaker 3: Yeah, so look, so you know, if we think there's 87 00:04:35,213 --> 00:04:38,413 Speaker 3: a problem, there's some things that are routinely done. Now, 88 00:04:38,493 --> 00:04:41,053 Speaker 3: so if PSA has gone up, we're thinking, well, could 89 00:04:41,053 --> 00:04:43,493 Speaker 3: this be cancer or not, and in many cases it's not. 90 00:04:44,853 --> 00:04:47,053 Speaker 3: We do some tests so that we some further blood 91 00:04:47,093 --> 00:04:50,413 Speaker 3: tests done. Often often there'll be now done what's called 92 00:04:50,453 --> 00:04:53,453 Speaker 3: an MRI scan, which is a very specialized scan called 93 00:04:53,493 --> 00:04:56,493 Speaker 3: a magnetic resonance imaging scan to look at the prostate 94 00:04:56,533 --> 00:04:59,373 Speaker 3: to pick up any changes in the prostate. And then 95 00:04:59,413 --> 00:05:02,853 Speaker 3: sometimes some men end up having what's called a prostate biopsy, 96 00:05:03,173 --> 00:05:06,773 Speaker 3: where there's some needles popped into the prostate through rectimor 97 00:05:06,933 --> 00:05:09,733 Speaker 3: or through the paranoun and some little samples are taken 98 00:05:09,773 --> 00:05:13,693 Speaker 3: out to test at the laboratory to look for cancer. Now, 99 00:05:13,973 --> 00:05:18,333 Speaker 3: if it is diagnosed that look it is cancer. Then 100 00:05:18,373 --> 00:05:22,053 Speaker 3: there's really four main approaches. The approach number one is 101 00:05:22,093 --> 00:05:24,813 Speaker 3: to watch and weight. So I made the comment that 102 00:05:24,933 --> 00:05:28,653 Speaker 3: some prostate cancers are very very slow growing, so once 103 00:05:28,693 --> 00:05:30,613 Speaker 3: you look at them under the microscope and see what 104 00:05:30,653 --> 00:05:33,093 Speaker 3: they are, sort of classify what's going to happen. So 105 00:05:33,453 --> 00:05:35,773 Speaker 3: for a lot of men, it's basically a six monthly 106 00:05:35,853 --> 00:05:39,693 Speaker 3: review a MRI once a year just to check it 107 00:05:39,773 --> 00:05:41,813 Speaker 3: and to make sure nothing's happening. And it's called a 108 00:05:41,853 --> 00:05:45,493 Speaker 3: watch and weight strategy. Now where you decide to treat 109 00:05:45,493 --> 00:05:49,933 Speaker 3: these three main treatments. One's radiotherapy where you sort of 110 00:05:49,973 --> 00:05:52,853 Speaker 3: burden the cancer out and that's a very very effective treatment. 111 00:05:53,693 --> 00:05:57,093 Speaker 3: This prostatectomy where the prostate is actually removed and taken 112 00:05:57,133 --> 00:06:00,933 Speaker 3: out by surgery. It's quite a big operation. It's removed 113 00:06:00,973 --> 00:06:04,013 Speaker 3: and the prostate has just taken away. And the third 114 00:06:04,053 --> 00:06:07,573 Speaker 3: one is what we call hormone treatment and hormone blockers 115 00:06:08,373 --> 00:06:12,533 Speaker 3: which were tired and stop the growth of the prostate cancer. Now, 116 00:06:12,573 --> 00:06:15,853 Speaker 3: that's often used before surgery to strenk shrink the cancer 117 00:06:16,613 --> 00:06:20,173 Speaker 3: or if the cancer has sort of spread beyond the prostate, 118 00:06:20,733 --> 00:06:23,653 Speaker 3: it's used to control the cancer and can be very 119 00:06:23,653 --> 00:06:25,933 Speaker 3: effective at doing that for a number of years. 120 00:06:26,293 --> 00:06:26,453 Speaker 1: OK. 121 00:06:26,733 --> 00:06:29,093 Speaker 3: So look, number of treatments, number of things you can do. 122 00:06:29,253 --> 00:06:32,013 Speaker 3: But look, I'll tell you what the big big thing is. 123 00:06:32,013 --> 00:06:34,573 Speaker 3: If you get any of those symptoms, please please go 124 00:06:34,613 --> 00:06:38,653 Speaker 3: and see your GP discuss whether the prostate check is required. 125 00:06:38,693 --> 00:06:40,573 Speaker 3: Because I tell you what, I've got a number of 126 00:06:40,613 --> 00:06:43,653 Speaker 3: patients now who are so so grateful they went into that, 127 00:06:44,133 --> 00:06:46,013 Speaker 3: and that's probably the big, big message. 128 00:06:46,093 --> 00:06:48,933 Speaker 2: Oh that's such a good message, such a vital message, Brian, 129 00:06:49,013 --> 00:06:50,933 Speaker 2: thank you. We've got one right here. Jack. 130 00:06:51,173 --> 00:06:51,373 Speaker 3: Hi. 131 00:06:51,533 --> 00:06:55,133 Speaker 2: I'm fifty nine. Eighteen months ago my yearly PSA test 132 00:06:55,213 --> 00:06:57,613 Speaker 2: came back higher than previous, so I got it investigated. 133 00:06:57,613 --> 00:07:00,133 Speaker 2: I had a biopsy done. It came back with low 134 00:07:00,213 --> 00:07:03,133 Speaker 2: grade cancer, so we watched it. Six months later, I 135 00:07:03,133 --> 00:07:06,653 Speaker 2: had another biopsy done and that was graded higher. They 136 00:07:06,653 --> 00:07:09,093 Speaker 2: offered us treatment. My wife and I decided on surgery. 137 00:07:09,173 --> 00:07:11,133 Speaker 2: I have my prostate removed at the beginning of May. 138 00:07:11,213 --> 00:07:13,253 Speaker 2: My recovery has been great and I'm now a cured. 139 00:07:13,293 --> 00:07:16,773 Speaker 2: Life is wonderful. It's so good to hear. Thank you 140 00:07:16,813 --> 00:07:19,853 Speaker 2: for sharing that, and it is such an important thing 141 00:07:19,893 --> 00:07:23,053 Speaker 2: to keep in mind because, as Brian says, so many 142 00:07:23,133 --> 00:07:25,453 Speaker 2: key we guys like to think they're a bit bulletproof 143 00:07:25,533 --> 00:07:27,613 Speaker 2: from time to time. So we'll have more details about 144 00:07:27,653 --> 00:07:31,133 Speaker 2: Prostate Awitness month up on the News Talk's EDB website 145 00:07:31,213 --> 00:07:34,333 Speaker 1: For more From Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live 146 00:07:34,413 --> 00:07:37,573 Speaker 1: to News Talks EDB from nine am Saturday, or follow 147 00:07:37,613 --> 00:07:39,213 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.