Albany Urology to offer free prostate cancer screenings

ALBANY — Several area health care providers are coming together to hold a free screening event later this week for prostate cancer.

The screenings are planned from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Saturday at Albany Urology Clinic and Surgery Center, located at 2400 Osler Court. The process involves a blood test, after which patients will be contacted for follow-up.

“Prostate cancer continues to be a major health care issue in the U.S. for men aged 40-70. One out of every seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer,” said Dr. Michael Monohan, a physician at the practice. “This is a bigger problem in African-American men, with one in four being diagnosed. Prostate cancer is responsible for the second most common cancer-related death in men.

“The state of Georgia ranks fourth in prostate cancer-related death compared to the rest of the country. This problem is magnified in the high-risk populations, such as African-American men, particularly in south Georgia. If detected early, prostate cancer is nearly 100 percent curable.”

The Georgia Department of Public Health Office of Health Indicators for Planning showed there where 22 deaths in the 14-county Southwest Public Health District in 2015 among men ages 45-74 related to prostate cancer, including six in Dougherty County.