Prostate cancer might
rise locallyHawaii could see more cases this
year if estimates hold true
Hawaii is expected to have the nation's third-largest increase in prostate cancer deaths this year, according to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition.
The coalition cites American Cancer Society figures showing that 130 Hawaii men will die of prostate cancer this year, up from 100 last year.
The figures predict 2,090 cancer deaths in Hawaii this year, with lung cancer leading with 530 expected deaths.
The figures also estimate there will be 1,000 new prostate cancer cases in Hawaii this year, an 11 percent increase over last year and accounting for 20 percent of all new cancer cases.
Phil Olsen, a prostate cancer survivor, said he believes efforts he and other survivors have made in urging older men to get tested have contributed to the increase in the number of cases.
But he said he cannot explain the increase in the number of deaths.
Olsen, 73, was diagnosed in 1993 and underwent treatment, including an experimental treatment on the mainland. Although he still has a tumor, his PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood count is going down, and he stopped all medication 15 months ago.
"I expect to be around a long time," said Olsen, who follows a strict diet and gets a lot of exercise.
Awareness of risk factors, early detection and a healthy diet might help increase the numbers from increasing in future years, the coalition said.
The coalition emphasized that prostate cancer has a survivorship rate of more than 90 percent when the disease is caught early.
One of the risk factors pointed out in a recent study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is obesity.