Actor Louis Gossett Jr. Fighting Prostate Cancer

Actor Louis Gossett Jr, 73, has released a statement that he is battling prostate cancer. Caught at an early stage, he has begun an intensive treatment program and says that the diagnosis is “among the many challenges I have faced in my life and overcome. I expect this to be no different.”

Treatment options for prostate cancer vary upon the patient and the stage of the disease. Surgery can be performed on those in good health, and include prostatectomy which removes the prostate gland or transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) which removes tissue from the prostate tumor. Radiation or hormone therapy can also be used to kill cancer cells or to prevent a recurrence of the disease.

Gossett Jr. is encouraging African-American men over 40 to be screened regularly for prostate cancer. African American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world and it is the second-leading cause of cancer death among black men. According to research presented by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, blacks continue to have a disproportionately high cancer burden and efforts need to be aimed at increasing access to diagnostic and treatment services.

The American Urological Association recommends that men, particularly those at higher risk such as African-Americans and those with a first-degree family history of prostate cancer, get a baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test at age 40.