Elton Teams Up with Miley
- Elton John, 73, is featured on a new Miley Cyrus song; the duo are covering the Metallica song “Nothing Else Matters,” and Elton is on the keys.
- The British legend was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017 and had surgery to treat the disease; he’s been prolific in performing since beating cancer.
- Prostate cancer is typically detected by PSA (prostate specfic antigen) tests; SurvivorNet experts say to start screening at age 55, or as early as age 35 if there’s a history of cancer in the family.
Elton’s Cancer Journey
Elton was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017 and treated his disease with surgery. Ever the relentless showman, Elton carried on with planned performances, despite needing to wear a diaper onstage at a 2017 performance in Las Vegas following his prostate cancer surgery. He hadn’t yet regained control of his bladder, due to the surgery’s effects. The singer also got a fever and an infection following the surgical procedure.
Thankfully, the surgery was successful and Elton John is now cancer-free. Dr. Stephen Freedland, a Urologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said in an earlier interview of this kind of surgery, "It's typically done through a robotic technique today, at least in the United States.”
The time frame for the procedure varies, said Dr. Freeland. “A lot of patients are still getting open surgery. Depending on the surgeon, it may be two, three, four, five hours somewhere in that range, usually spend one night in the hospital."
An Overview of Prostate Cancer Surgery
The Importance of PSA Tests
Elton’s prostate cancer was caught earlier enough that it could quickly be treated. Detecing prostate cancer is typically done via PSA (prostate specific antigen) tests. In a previous interview, Dr. James Brooks, a Urologic Oncologist at Stanford Medicine said, “Current guidelines are to start screening at age 55 and continue screening through age 70. The reason for that is prostate cancer diagnosed after age 70 has a reasonably low probability it’s going to take your life because prostate cancer, even in its aggressive forms, when it’s localized is a relatively slow-growing cancer.”
Related: Metastatic Prostate Cancer Treatment is Improving
Dr. David Wise added, “Men who are at high risk because of a family history should have PSA testing earlier. At latest, age 40, but probably even by age 35, they should have an initial PSA. That PSA test at a younger age, it’s a more accurate test because the prostate has not increased in size, which can cause the test to be more difficult to interpret.”
The PSA Blood Test and a Rectal Exam are Vital for Prostate Cancer Screening
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