When former President Joe Biden announced his diagnosis of prostate cancer on May 19, everything changed for people like Inger Rosner, an Inova urologist. Rosner and the entire field of urology felt the shift in both conversations and notoriety over the second-most common form of cancer in men, according to the American Cancer Society. Coincidentally, the announcement by Biden comes right before Men’s Health Month, which was established in 1994 and recognized every June.
Rosner began her journey to becoming one of the most well-respected urologists in the area while serving in the military. With a large male population in the military, she became a urologist and witnessed firsthand just how much men suppress conversations about their health, especially when it concerns issues thought to be “private.”
“(Those conversations) are hard because it’s a very vulnerable one,” said Rosner. “In urology, we are talking about things that are very private, whether it is about someone’s genitals, urination or sexual activity. It is so important to encourage men to have these conversations with providers.”
While Rosner encourages men to get tested and screened as early as possible, that is not always easy. For many men, she says, it is something that can be swept under the rug because the symptoms can “feel benign… so it can be hard to pinpoint.” Moreover, the number of men who are willing to go through with screening and treatment is lower than it should be, according to Rosner.
Prostate cancer, one of the things that Rosner considers herself an expert on, is found in one out of eight men at some point during their lives. Although it is mainly seen in men over the age of 65, men should seek treatment and detection earlier. Prostate cancer has many symptoms that bleed into other things, making it hard to diagnose at times. Some of those symptoms include a mass in a testicle, blood in the urine, and difficulty urinating. Some of those symptoms are seen in urinary-tract infections, making the line between something more routine and prostate cancer blurred.
As difficult as it might be for professionals like Rosner to diagnose prostate cancer, the screening process is relatively simple. All it takes is a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test to detect whether there is a need for more screening.
Despite some of the hardships she faces in her field, Rosner emphasizes her commitment and love for her job.
“I really love the aspect of urology because, as a surgeon, it’s a subspecialty,” said Rosner. “We follow patients through the continuum of their care. With particular prostate issues, we work with a patient from screening to diagnosing to treating the cancer.”
Rosner understands that the word “cancer” is met with fear and anxiety, especially for patients and their loved ones. However, she wants to ensure that her patients, and all men for that matter, feel comfortable discussing their concerns with their providers and specialists if they suspect something is wrong, whether internally or externally.
“I’m a mother of three boys, and I always try to educate them that they should seek attention if they see or feel anything abnormal going on in their bodies,” said Rosner.
As more attention has been given to men’s health nationally, Rosner wants the open and honest conversations to continue. Although no one wants to have prostate cancer or be treated for something similar, Rosner points out that getting screened earlier means that the cancer can be addressed faster and not be life-threatening. At the end of the day, all Rosner and others in her field care about is the health and well-being of their communities.
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