Learning About Prostate Cancer
- Legendary rock star and singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, 78, had his 94-year-old sister, Mary, sing alongside him at his last UK concert.
- Stewartwho briefly battled thyroid cancer before getting diagnosed with prostate cancer after a routine screening in 2016, which he had radiation therapy for and ultimately announced he was cancer-free in 2019shocked fans with his sister’s appearance on the Edinburgh castle stage.
- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men except for skin cancers. The disease begins in the walnut-shaped prostate gland located between the rectum and bladder. This gland produces the fluid that nourishes sperm.
- "Prostate cancer is a very odd disease in that it doesn't have a particular symptom," Dr. Edwin Posadas, director of translational oncology and the medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai, previously explained to SurvivorNet.
Stewartwho briefly battled thyroid cancer before getting diagnosed with prostate cancer after a routine screening in 2016, which he had radiation therapy for and ultimately announced he was cancer-free in 2019shocked fans with his sister’s appearance on the Edinburgh castle stage in Scotland.
Once Mary walked up next to her younger brother, she gently put on his sailing captain’s hat, prompting him to hug her and say, “This is my sister! 94!”
Expert Prostate Cancer Resources
- The PSA Blood Test and a Rectal Exam are Vital for Prostate Cancer Screening
- Could A Urine Test Be The Future of Prostate Cancer Screening? Leading Experts Weigh In
- If You Have a Family History of Prostate Cancer, Get Screened Early
- There’s No One Definitive Symptom for Prostate Cancer, But There Are Clues
- Metastatic Prostate Cancer Treatment is Improving
Mary, who is the only one of Stewart’s elder 4 siblings who are still alive, was seen singing alongside him throughout the remainder of the song, and at one point she even started jamming to the music with her hands in the air.
Recounting the heartwarming moment being “in Edinburgh with my big sister” to Mirror UK, Stewart said, “At 94, she's on a rock’n’roll stage and loving it.
“She has and continues to teach me about life,” he added.
Stewart’s other siblings, Bob, Don, and Peggy have all passed away. Speaking about his brothers and sisters in 2019, according to Mirror UK, he said, “They were instrumental in supporting me, helping me get into music.”
And although Stewart’s U.K. tour has concluded, the musician recently took to Instagram to insist he is not retiring.
“I’d like to clear up any confusion that I may have caused with my dear fans and the media. I shall never retire! I was put on this earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good Lord lets me,” he wrote in the post.
“I’ll be playing the hits as advertised for the UK, UK, South American, and Vegas and into 2024 but not retirement as such.”
Lessons Learned From Cancer
After inviting his sister on stage, Rod Stewart admitted she is a family who had taught him a lot in life, kind of like how cancer often leaves survivors with lessons learned. Cancer survivors often tell us that while the diagnosis can come with a slew of emotions like fear, sadness, and even anger it can also bring clarity.
That's how it was for breast cancer survivor Fernanda Savino, who previously told SurvivorNet that being faced with cancer allowed her to slow down and realize that there's more to life than working and trying to get ahead.
"I'm a lawyer, and I used to be such a workaholic," Fernanda says. "I would work for long hours, and I would never make room for doctor appointments or anything like that."
One thing that she learned after being diagnosed at age 38, she says, is to be more respectful of her body so she slowed her life down and started treating it a little better.
"I started to take care of my health," she says, "And be more respectful to my body, to me. I started to exercise more."
A Cancer Survivor's Ode To Friends and Family: "My Support System Helped Me Heal"
Like so many survivors, Fernanda says the importance of support from loved ones was also put into perspective when she was diagnosed. She explains that she started training for runs with her sisters, and is so thankful she had family and friends to turn to during the tough times.
"I had all the support … my family, my friends, even the ones that weren't so close, they always were present," she said. “I don't know how I would have gotten through all of this without them.”
Rod Stewart’s Battle With Prostate Cancer
The “Maggie May” singer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016 at age 71 following a routine check-up with his doctor.
RELATED: Prostate Cancer: Overview
Stewart was given the “all clear” from his doctors in 2019 following successful treatment for the disease. Previously, Stewart's wife, Penny Lancaster, spoke about her husband's cancer on a British tv talk show.
"It was quite aggressive and it came on really quickly," Lancaster explained. “Instead of remaining in the [prostate] gland, it had left the gland and traveled to the outside tissues."
According to Lancaster, Stewart couldn't be treated with surgery alone. "Knowing it had traveled outside, we couldn't have the gland removed, so he had to have a three-month intensive course of radiation, traveling into London the same time every single day, going to the clinic.”
Meanwhile, Stewart was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer over 20 years ago, a diagnosis which led him to briefly fear that the disease would rob him of his voice.
Appearing on the British talk show Loose Women, Stewart talked about the alarm he experienced one morning when he woke up and "couldn't sing a note."
The singer played down his thyroid cancer battle, however, saying: "I had a touch of thyroid cancer; it was over and out within 10 minutes."
Stewart then explained to the hosts that he did not "want to pretend I fought cancer for months and months" because, in his case, “it was really easy to get rid of.”
Understanding Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men except for skin cancers. The disease begins in the walnut-shaped prostate gland located between the rectum and bladder. This gland produces the fluid that nourishes sperm.
Symptoms of the disease are generally inconsistent and hard to pinpoint.
"Prostate cancer is a very odd disease in that it doesn't have a particular symptom," Dr. Edwin Posadas, director of translational oncology and the medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai, previously explained to SurvivorNet.
There's No One Definitive Symptom for Prostate Cancer, But There Are Clues
Changes in urinary function like urinating more or less often or waking up at night to go more than usual could be a sign of the disease.
However, it's important to note that these potential symptoms could also could be caused by a urinary tract infection or even an enlargement of the prostate gland (which is not cancer). Still, you should always consult a medical professional if any changes to your health arise.
Doctors who have spoken with SurvivorNet shared a hopeful outlook when considering a prostate cancer diagnosis because there are many treatment options and there's been significant treatment progress over the past decade.
Second (& Third) Opinions Matter When Deciding Between Surgery or Radiation
Surgical and radiation options, for example, have made improvements in reducing side effects of treatment while still providing excellent cure rates. Even for men with an advanced-stage diagnosis, many new options exist to treat prostate cancer and help them maintain an excellent quality of life.
Prostate Cancer Screening
In the United States, many prostate cancer cases are caught with screening examinations. Screening guidelines depend on your risk for the disease. Age, race/ethnicity, geography, family history and gene changes are the main risk factors for prostate cancer. You should talk with your doctor regardless, but here are some things to consider when gauging your risk for the disease:
- Men younger than 40 are less likely to get prostate cancer, but age-related risk quickly rises after age 50.
- Approximately six of ten cases of prostate cancer are found in men older than 65.
- Prostate cancer develops more often in African-American men and in Caribbean men of African ancestry than in men of other races, and these men tend to develop the disease at a younger age.
- Prostate cancer is most common in North America, northwestern Europe, Australia and on Caribbean islands.
- It is less common in Asia, Africa, Central America and South America. The reasons for this risk factor are unclear, but more intensive screening and lifestyle differences like diet might be contributing factors.
- Most prostate cancers occur in men without a family history of the disease, but it's still important to look at your family history because prostate cancer does seem to run in some families. Having a father or brother with prostate cancer, for instance, more than doubles a man's risk of developing the disease with a higher risk for men with a brother with prostate cancer than those with a father who have it. The risk is also especially high if a man has several affected relatives that developed the cancer at a younger age.
- Inherited gene changes, or mutations, like that of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes can also elevate risk, but this probably accounts for a small percentage of overall cases.
It's not clear if the benefits of prostate cancer screening outweigh the risks for most men. Nevertheless, screening can be life-saving, and it's important to at least discuss the pros and cons of screening and your risk factors for the disease with your doctor.
When Should I Get Tested for Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer screening methods look for possible signs of the disease, but they can't determine for sure if you have cancer. The only way to know for sure if the patient has prostate cancer is with a prostate biopsy a procedure in which small samples of the prostate are removed and examined under a microscope. But generally speaking, screening for prostate cancer involves a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test and a digital rectal exam to feel the prostate gland.
"It's slightly uncomfortable but painless, and takes less than 30 seconds," Dr. Posadas said of these methods. "The amount of information that is gained from that is tremendous, and it can be a life-and-death type decision that is made."
But it's important to note that the PSA test is not perfect. The prostate-specific antigen is a protein secreted by the prostate gland. Men have a small amount of PSA in their blood all the time, but large amounts can be a sign of cancer because when cancer cells grow, PSA spills into the blood.
An elevated PSA test, however, does not always mean you have prostate cancer. It can simply reflect that your prostate is enlarged which is common or it could signal an infection or inflammation. Because of this, the PSA test is controversial since high levels may lead to over-treatment in men who are more likely to die from something else.
Regardless, our experts maintain that the PSA tests are helpful, and you should talk with your doctor about your own risks for the cancer and screening options.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have experienced symptoms associated with prostate cancer or have a screening coming up, here are some questions you may ask your doctor:
- If I have elevated PSA levels, what could be causing that besides cancer?
- How long will it take to learn if my PSA levels warrant further testing?
- What are the treatment options that are best suited for me based on my risk level?
- What financial resources exist to help me with the costs associated with treatment?
- How long will my potential treatment prevent me from working or continuing normal activities?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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