Central California men raise awareness about prostate cancer

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men.

"Women, we need your help," said Leonard Zasoski. "We need you to give us the shove to go get checked."

This is Zasoski's plea -- as September's Prostate Cancer Awareness Month comes to an end.

The 62-year-old Bakersfield resident is a 12-year prostate cancer survivor.

He became familiar with the disease at the age of 21, when his father was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer -- which means the cancer spread throughout his body.

"The last three months of his life was just curled up in a ball and meds wouldn't help them," he shared. "They couldn't do anything to control the pain, and it was difficult to watch."

By his mid-30s, Zasoski started taking action to lower his risk by getting a Prostate Specific Antigen test, or PSA.

At 50 years old, the blood test showed there was a possibility he could have prostate cancer -- soon after, it was confirmed. Zasoski decided to go through treatment.

"I looked at it this way -- I wanted to see my boys grow. I have two sons. I wanted to see them grow up. I have now a grandson," he said.

Dr. Bhavin Patel, a urologist at Kaiser Permanente in Fresno, said men 50-55 years old should take the blood test every one to two years.

If you're at high risk - such as African American men or those with family members who've had prostate cancer - a PSA test should be taken starting at age 45.

"For prostate cancer, there aren't many symptoms men get. That's why screening is so important," Dr. Patel said. "With the simple blood test, we can get a better idea of your risk of prostate cancer, even before you have any late symptoms."

However, money can be a barrier for men.

In March, Congress introduced the PSA Screening for HIM Act. It would require insurance companies to cover prostate cancer screenings for those at high risk for the disease without out-of-pocket costs.

Visalia resident Ron Subia, who is a lung cancer survivor, recently went to Washington D.C. with American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteers to advocate for the bill.

"We have some positive buy-in from some of the lawmakers," Subia shared. "Unfortunately, there was some that they're always on the fence, so we just continue to provide them with additional information and the importance of supporting our cause."

Since the pandemic, Valley doctors have noticed fewer men coming in for screenings and they hope more awareness about prostate cancer will change that.

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