For the third straight year, Froedtert Hopsital and The Medical College of Wisconsin, WITI-TV Fox Channel 6, the Milwaukee Brewers and ZERO: The Project to End Prostate Cancer, have teamed up to encourage men to protect themselves against prostate cancer.
Froedtert Physicians will offer free private screenings, in two mobile clinic vehicles, Thursday, May 28 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Miller Park. Appointments are not necessary, but screenings will be provided on a first come first serve basis.
“If you’re over 40, getting checked is a simple step that could save your life,” said Dr. William See, chairman and professor of urology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. See specializes in prostate cancer and practices at Froedtert Hospital, Wauwatosa. “For all men, the risk of prostate cancer goes up at age 50, and for African-American men, the risk elevates at age 40.”
According to statistics, screenings take approximately 20 minutes, and include a blood test to measure the amount of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, in the blood, and a physical examination of the prostate gland. Participants will know the results of their physical exam immediately; PSA test results will be mailed within four weeks.
Nearly 500 men were screened at the event in 2008. More than 13 percent had abnormal PSA results and about 8 percent had abnormal physical prostate exam results. In the two years the free event has been held, nearly 900 men have been screened many of them for the first time.
This year, the first 500 participants who complete the screening will also receive a voucher good for two tickets to a future Milwaukee Brewers home game.
