Cancer Screenings In Younger Men Improve Outcomes

A Pacific Northwest doctor is leading this week’s national conference, presenting the latest information about saving your life from cancer.

Dr. Julie Gralow, who taught at the University of Washington for 25 years, is now the Chief Medical Officer for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. And this is the week, the group is coming together, on line because of COVID-19, looking at the latest research and education for cancer doctors. Their theme: “Equity, every patient every day everywhere. And we’re focused on how do we get access to prevention, and treatment, and survivorship care to everyone.”

Their major finding: people’s chances of surviving cancer increase when states allow more people to go on Medicaid.  Those states, “That are more lenient, that are covering more people, where you can make a bit more money and still qualify for Medicaid, we’ve shown now have better cancer survival, these people are getting access to insurance, access to care.”

And one of the Society of Clinical Oncology’s major research projects found that P.S.A. tests for prostate cancer can save men’s lives, especially younger, and African American men. “If they had had screening in the five years before their diagnosis, as opposed to a group who hadn’t had any screening, they also did better, smaller cancers, less spread. ”

She says the pandemic’s made people put off testing, so now, “It’s time to get back in for your mammogram or your colon cancer screening or your cervical cancer screening.”

You can hear our talk with Dr. Gralow this Sunday morning at 7 here on KXL, on our show,  “Speaking Freely With Annette Newell.”