10.0°

The what-I-don't-know-won't-hurt-me mentality is commonly associated with men. Ironically -- or fittingly -- that attitude could be killing an untold number of males in the U.S. each year.

That's just the way prostate cancer works. As the second most prevalent cancer in American males, many are ignorant to the fact before it's too late.

But this doesn't have to be the norm, and a group of local Kenai Peninsula men are seeking to make that a reality.

Our goal is to make the Kenai Peninsula the most prostate cancer aware community in the country, said Dan Sexton, a Soldotna prostate cancer survivor. "No one should have to die from prostate cancer," he said.

Sexton is a member of a local support group affiliated with Anchorage's chapter of Us TOO, a support group founded by prostate cancer survivors to serve prostate cancer survivors and their families, which holds monthly meetings every third Thursday at Central Peninsula Hospital at 7 p.m.

Sexton recently attended Alaska's first prostate cancer retreat in Cooper Landing, along with 13 other survivors.

"It was a fabulous experience," said Lee Halstead, who was diagnosed last year.

"It was a stress release," said prostate cancer survivor Jim Bennett. "It was just a way for guys to get away from dealing with their cancer for a while."

Bennett, who was diagnosed three years ago, said most men avoid discussing the disease due to the stigma attached to it, namely impotence and incontinence -- two possible side effects of treatment.

A prostate gland biopsy, too, is an uncomfortable subject, Bennett said, as a tissue sample is taken by inserting a needle through the rectum into the prostate gland.

But being embarrassed about something that one in six men will experience throughout their lifetime is nothing worth dying over -- not to this group of cancer survivors.

"Guys are just too selfish. You just can't deny it," Bennett said. "It's just part of life."

The most influential portion of the three-day retreat was spent around a campfire, sharing stories and experiences with the other cancer survivors.

It gave us a venue to interact as a group and support each other, Sexton said. "We all came away with something positive from that encounter. The barriers of men really came down."

"Here, it was just guys," Bennett said. "So, once the pot was stirred" -- something Bennett said he's known for doing -- "everybody really started to open up."

The retreat, which was sponsored by the state of Alaska and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, was created to fill a void of in-state services for male cancer survivors.

"This is the first one in Alaska for men only," said Stacy Kelley, partnership health coordinator with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

There are several opportunities for women battling cancer, but prior to this year, none existed for men. From September 11-13, as September is prostate cancer awareness month, 14 men attended the retreat in Cooper Landing.

"It really exceeded our expectations," Kelley said.

In addition to sharing their personal stories about having cancer, the men enjoyed outdoor activities together such as hiking and fishing.

Kelley said there was a fear that it would take time for the cancer survivors to feel comfortable enough with one another to share their stories, but that wasn't the case at all.

"The men really opened up and started talking right away," Kelley said.

After a tremendous pilot program, Kelley said she hopes to expand the services provided to Alaska's male cancer survivors.

According to 2009 American Cancer Society statistics, one in six men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. One out of every 35 men will lose their life to the disease.

In 2009, more than 192,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. and the disease will cause more than 27,000 deaths, according to the ACS. More than 2 million American prostate cancer survivors are alive today.

Like other forms of cancer, the earlier it's discovered, the better the chance of survival.

"Early detection is absolutely crucial," Sexton said. In order to catch prostate cancer at an early stage, men should take annual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests.

PSA is produced by cells in the prostate gland. Most healthy men have a PSA level under 4 nanograms per milliliter of blood, according to the ACS. If a man has a PSA between 4 and 10, he has a 25 percent chance of having cancer. The chance of prostate cancer increases to more than 50 percent if the PSA is over 10.

The speed of PSA acceleration, too, plays a major role in determining if a man has prostate cancer. The rate of PSA increase is more significant than the number, Sexton said. Even an increase of a half point is cause for concern.

There are two forms of PSA, one that attaches to proteins in the blood and another form that circulates unattached, or freely. The percent-free PSA is a ratio of how much PSA circulates freely, compared to the total PSA level.

Percent-free PSA tests can be used to determine if a person should have a prostate biopsy. The lower the percent-free PSA, the more likely the man has prostate cancer. Scores between 4 and 10 usually indicate good candidates for biopsies, according the ACS.

The ACS recommends men begin having their PSA tested at age 50; however, Sexton advises age 40. Those at higher risk -- African Americans and men with relatives who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer -- should be tested earlier, according to the ACS.

There are several forms of treatment for prostate cancer. In a radical prostatectomy, the entire prostate gland is removed as well as some surrounding tissue. Robotic surgery, dubbed the "Da Vinci System," also exists. In this approach, robotic arms, controlled by the surgeon, perform the operation through small incisions in the patient's abdomen.

The major side effects of surgery are impotence and incontinence.

Another popular form of prostate cancer treatment is Brachytherapy. The surgeon implants several radioactive "seeds" directly into the patient's prostate gland. Impotence and incontinence are also side effects of Brachytherapy.

Like other forms of cancer, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are also used to treat prostate cancer.

Proton beam therapy is yet another treatment option, one that Sexton fully supports. Created at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, Calif., proton beam therapy uses protons instead of X-rays, like radiation therapy does, to eradicate the cancerous cells. Because protons give off the majority of their energy after traveling a certain distance, less damage is done to healthy tissue surrounding the cancer.

Sexton chose proton beam therapy after being diagnosed in November 2006. Bennett, too, went to Loma Linda to remove remaining cancer cells after his prostatectomy three years ago.

Once the cancer is removed, the patient will have to monitor his condition via yearly PSA tests for the rest of their lives.

"There is no cure for prostate cancer," Sexton said.

The cancer can reoccur at any time, Halstead said. This fact makes early detection that much more important, as the earlier it's found and eradicated, the less likely it is the cancer will return, Sexton said.

Prostate cancer's effects are as varied as the different treatment methods.

"It's almost a unique experience for all of us," Halstead said. "It's different for every man."

Although Sexton, Bennett and Halstead are each prostate cancer survivors, none of them shared identical experiences with the disease.

For that reason, support groups are all the more important, Halstead said. During the retreat, Halstead said he spoke with a newly diagnosed man and was able to share his story and help him understand what his options are and what could be expected.

"I wish I had that opportunity when I was first diagnosed," he said.

Before discovering the support group at CPH, Halstead turned to the Internet, where he was bombarded with an inordinate amount of information. After attending the meetings, he said the group has helped him with the mental element of treatment.

The group provides mental stability, Halstead said.

"Moral support is what people need," said Don McCloud, who's been battling cancer for 12 years.

McCloud first spoke to Sexton about his prostate cancer 10 years prior to Sexton's diagnosis. McCloud's openness showed Sexton how important sharing experiences is, especially after being diagnosed himself.

Sexton said men need to look out for one another and be open about the subject of prostate cancer. "We want men to be aware," he said.

Anyone seeking more information can contact Bennett at 260-4904; Sexton, 262-9244; Halstead, 283-9206 and McCloud, 283-7565.

Mike Nesper can be reached at mike.nesper@peninsulaclarion.com.