AUSTIN (KXAN) - Like a lot of active guys, 50-year-old Mike Cavender has spent much of his life feeling invincible.
He coaches high school varsity basketball and track teams with the Burnet Independent School District.
?I never broke a bone in my body. I've never been in the hospital," said Cavendar.
So when a routine test found early stage cancer in his prostate gland a couple years ago -- when Cavender was just 48 -- he was humbled.
?It was shocking. It was life-altering," said Cavender. "I couldn't even begin to imagine. It took a long time just for that fact to sink in."
June is Men?s Health Month . And obviously, no one wants to get a diagnosis of cancer. But what is surprising doctors even today is the number of men who are unwilling to hop up on an exam room table because they're embarrassed.??
Dr. Carl Bischoff with Urology Austin agrees. He talked about the common thought process of many men who deny they might have a health issue, despite symptoms they hope will go away in time.
?In the back of your mind [is], 'When I'm 50 I have to have a rectal exam. I should get a rectal exam. I should get blood tests done,"' said Bischoff of the thoughts many men process. "So they're very apprehensive in general."
And confusing to already timid male patients are recommendations like a recent one from a government-funded panel. It suggested men of all ages simply forego the prostate screening, or PSA test. The thinking is that it can lead to overtreatment and serious side effects.
But for urologists, any early warning a tentative male patient can get is a gift -- especially when they go to the doctor with symptoms like an increase in urination or erectile issues that may point to other issues.
?Sometimes it happens a little bit earlier that can signify something else is wrong," said Bischoff.
In Central Texas in 2012, an estimated 1,769 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed. Of those, 201 men will die from the disease, according to the Texas Cancer Registry. The registry is a division of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
That's down from 2011. While 1,707 new cases were expected, the death rate prediction was 204.
In 2010, Texas Cancer Registry numbers predicted 1,677 prostate cancer cases and 204 deaths.
After surgery, months of radiation and hormone treatments, Cavender is now cancer-free. He still gets blood tests every 90 days to make sure it stays that way.
But this "man's man" said he's no longer so shy when it comes to keeping well.
"I really believe if I had waited the two years between 48 and 50, I would not have the options," he said.
And options are what urologists said can mean the difference between successful treatment and an early death.
To learn more, check out the nonprofit organization Texas Prostate Cancer Coalition's website.
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