Private MD News

Ex-NFL player urges men to get prostate test

Updated: 2009-08-27 12:56:08 CST Category: Prostate

by Francis Ma

A former quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs is urging more men to get a regular prostate test as a way to stay in optimal health.

Len Dawson, who spend 19 years in the NFL and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has taken on a new opponent in prostate cancer.

The former professional athlete was diagnosed with the condition in 1991, which Dawson said was shocking since he felt he always paid attention to his health.

Many men who have developed prostate cancer may have similar reactions, which is why some call the disease a silent threat. However, in the U.S., prostate cancer is the second leading cause of male cancer-related deaths and in 2009 an estimated 192,000 men will be diagnosed with the condition.

For Dawson, he credits his wife Linda for saving his life, since she was the one who urged him to get a prostate test.

"My personal advice to men 40 years of age and older is to get tested every year, because if you stay on top of the situation, then you'll take care of the situation, and you won't die of prostate cancer," Dawson said. "Go see a doctor, get tested."

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• Using statins may reduce risk for prostate cancer
  

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