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>>> PROSTATE CANCER CAN BE A TOUCHY SUBJECT FOR MEN TO TALK ABOUT, BUT ESPECIALLY BLACK MEN.

TALKING TO IT ABOUT THE DOCTOR COULD BE A LIFESAVER.

ACCORDING TO THE CDC, AMONG BLACK MEN, PROSTATE CANCER MAKES UP ABOUT 37% OF ALL CANCERS.

ABOUT 1 AND 6 BLACK MEN WILL BE DIAGNOSED IN THEIR LIVES AND BLACK MEN ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE FROM PROSTATE CANCER AS MEN OF OTHER RACES.

OUR NEXT GUEST SAYS THE DISEASE CAN ALSO TAKE A TOLL ON MENTAL HEALTH.

THE ENCOURAGEMENT TO TALK ABOUT THAT TOO.

JOINING US IS DR. CHARITY DEAN, MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST, AND WILL PARKS, WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER IN 2021.

THANKS TO YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.

WILL, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY.

YOU RECEIVED YOUR DIAGNOSIS IN THE FALL OF 2021.

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT IT?

>> ACTUALLY, IT WAS A PROCESS.

I WAS WITH MY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN .

HE ORDERED A BUNCH OF TESTS.

YOU KNOW, YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR AND YOU CAN REQUEST CERTAIN TESTS.

ONE OF THE TESTS WAS A PSA SCREEN.

WE DID THE SCREENING, AND HE NOTICED THE NUMBERS WERE REALLY HIGH.

WHEN HE TOLD ME WHAT THE NUMBERS WERE, I WAS REALLY SURPRISED.

I KNEW THAT AFRICAN AMERICANS, IT WAS A CERTAIN NUMBER.

MY NUMBER WAS 31.

EXTREMELY HIGH.

WHEN I FOUND OUT ABOUT THAT, I THOUGHT, OH MY GOSH, I AM IN TROUBLE.

I THOUGHT, OH MY GOSH, I PROBABLY HAVE A COUPLE MONTHS TO LIVE.

HE SENT ME TO A UROLOGIST.

HE SAID, DON'T WORRY, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WE CAN DO.

WE CAN TRY SOME MEDICATIONS.

WE TRIED SOME.

THE NUMBER WENT HALF.

IT DROPPED QUITE A BIT.

THIS WAS GREAT.

BUT IT STILL WAS GOING DOWN ENOUGH .

IT WAS STILL MUCH HIGHER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

SO HE ACTUALLY ASKED ME TO TAKE AN MRI .

SOMETHING I WASN'T CRAZY ABOUT DOING, BUT I DID DO THE MRI.

THEY NOTICED THERE WAS A SPOT.

THEY REQUESTED A BIOPSY.

THAT IS WHEN I CONTACTED THE CITY.

>> THEY WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM IT FOR YOU.

I AM SURE IT WAS A FRIGHTENING DIAGNOSIS TO RECEIVE.

DR. FARRINGTON, IS HIS EXPERIENCE TYPICAL FOR MEN FACING A PROSTATE CANCER DIAGNOSIS?

>> IT IS PRETTY TYPICAL.

WE OFTEN FIND THESE VERY EASY IS LEE WITH PSA SCREENING, A SIMPLE BLOOD TEST.

WE GET CONFIRMATION WITH A BIOPSY.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS THAT, EVEN WITH HIGH NUMBERS, PROSTATE CANCER IS VERY DURABLE.

>> WILL MENTIONED IN READING, THE PSA READING WAS 31.

IT SCARED HIM.

GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT THE NUMBER INDICATES.

>> PSA IS PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN .

IT IS A BLOOD TEST THAT IS A TUMOR MARKER.

IT GIVES US AN IDEA OF HOW MANY LIVING TUMORS THERE ARE IN YOUR SYSTEM.

NORMAL IS UP TO FOUR.

ABOVE 30 IS QUITE HIGH.

>> CRAZY.

>> WILL, DURING THE RECOVERY PROCESS, YOU SAID YOU ALSO FACED MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES.

WHAT HELPED YOU PUSH THROUGH THAT PERIOD?

>> A LOT OF IT WAS THE COMMUNITY HELPING.

A LOT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS .

I AM A CHRISTIAN, SO A LOT OF PRAYER.

SOME OF THE HELP WAS EDUCATION.

I HAVE A GODFATHER WHO HAD PROSTATE CANCER ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO.

HE GAVE ME A LOT OF RESOURCES TO HELP OUT.

I WAS EDUCATED.

I UNDERSTOOD MORE, INSTEAD OF JUST BEING OUT THERE -- I DENSELY SUGGEST THAT GUYS SHOULD LEARN AS MUCH AS THEY CAN AND GET THEIR SCREENING EARLY.

THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

MOST BLACK OF PEOPLE CAN PROBABLY COUNT THE NUMBER OF MEN IN THEIR FAMILY WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER.

THERE WERE SEVERAL IN MY OWN.

DR. FARRINGTON, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO CARE FOR MEN WHEN THEY ARE FACING PROSTATE CANCER?

>> IT IS THAT IT IS TABOO.

MEN DON'T THINK TO TALK TO THEIR DOCTORS ABOUT GETTING THE PSA SCREENING.

ESPECIALLY FOR BLACK MEN, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE PROSTATE CANCER TENDS TO OCCUR AT A LOWER AGE AND IS MORE AGGRESSIVE.

IS A HIGHLY CURABLE CANCER.

I WOULD ENCOURAGEMENT TO TALK TO THEIR DOCTOR ABOUT PSA SCREENING, GENERALLY STARTING AT THE AGE OF 40.

>> WILL, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR MEN WHO HAVE RECEIVED A DIAGNOSIS?

>> -- I THINK YOU ARE FROZEN.

ARE YOU THERE?

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR MEN WHO HAVE RECEIVED A DIAGNOSIS?

>> NOT TO BE TOO AFRAID .

IT IS KIND OF HARD TO SAY, BECAUSE YOU GET THE DIAGNOSIS , IMMEDIATELY THERE IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU.

YOU FEEL LIKE, OH MY GOSH, YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED AND DESPONDENT.

BUT TRYING TO REACH OUT TO SOMEBODY AND STAY CLOSE TO A DOCTOR.

I REALLY APPRECIATE DR. FARRINGTON.

SHE WAS REALLY HELPFUL DURING THIS JOURNEY.

SHE MADE ME FEEL COMFORTABLE AND ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS .

THAT DOES HELP OUT A LOT.

I WOULD SAY TO REACH OUT TO YOUR FAMILY.

A LOT OF FAMILY WAS PRAYING FOR ME AND PUSHING FOR ME.

THEY WERE TELLING ME, YOU ARE GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT.

YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE IT.

>> REACH OUT.

DR. FARRINGTON, HOW IS SCREENING FOR PROSTATE CANCER CHANGING?

WHAT DO MEN NEED TO KNOW?

>> THE NICE THING ABOUT SCREENING FOR PROSTATE CANCER NOW IS THAT WE NO LONGER USE DIGITAL RECTAL EXAMS FOR SCREENING.

MOST MEN APPRECIATE THAT.

PREVIOUSLY, WE WOULD USE, YOU KNOW, A PSA EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

NOW IT IS RECOMMENDED TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT HOW OFTEN AND WHEN WE SHOULD BE SCREENED.

BUT LIKE I SAID, CONSIDERING SCREENINGS EVERY YEAR STARTING AT THE AGE OF 40 IS WHAT IS RECOMMENDED.

>> IDENTICALLY GOT TO THIS, WHY ARE AFRICAN AMERICANS AT A HIGHER RISK?

>> PART OF IT IS PROBABLY GENETICS.

THERE DO SEEM TO BE DIFFERENT GENETIC CHANGES IN BLACK MEN , THEIR TUMORS.

THEY DO TEND TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE AND START AT A YOUNGER AGE.

BUT THE OTHER PART IS ACCESS TO CARE.

SIMPLY THAT MOST BLACK MEN DON'T WANT TO GO TO THEIR DOCTORS AND SEEK OUT THE SCREENING.

AND SO, I THINK THAT IS PART OF IT TOO, JUST THE ACCESS TO CARE.

IT IS SO IMPORTANT.

>> WELL, WHY DO YOU THINK PROSTATE CANCER IS SO HARD FOR MEN TO TALK ABOUT?

>> LIKE SHE SAID, WE THINK ABOUT THE DIGITAL RECTAL EXAM.

THAT IS NOT TOO THRILLING FOR GUYS.

AND THEN, WE REALLY DON'T TALK ABOUT HEALTH THAT MUCH IN THE AFRICAN AMERICA COMMUNITY.

THAT WAS ONE THING MY GODFATHER TALKED ABOUT A LOT.

HE WAS LIKE, MEN SHOULD DISCUSS THESE ISSUES.

AND THEY DON'T.

MENTIONED OPEN UP.