DOWAGIAC, MI – To help combat the second-leading cause of cancer death in men, Borgess Lee Medical Group will offer free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and digital rectal exams (DREs) Friday, February 10, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, second floor (420 West High Street, Dowagiac).

“The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 34,000 American men will lose their lives to prostate cancer this year,” said Anthony R. Gauthier, MD, board-certified urologist with Borgess Lee Medical Group. “The good news is that more than 2 million men in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive today. If prostate cancer is detected early through simple and painless testing, it can often be successfully treated.”

What is a PSA Test?

A PSA test is a painless screening that measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen, a substance released into a man’s blood by the prostate gland. Low amounts of PSA may be found in a healthy man’s blood; however, this substance typically increases as the prostate enlarges with age. PSA may also increase due to inflammation of the prostate gland or prostate cancer.

Dr. Gauthier and Joe Mashni, family nurse practitioner (FNP), Borgess Lee Medical Group, will provide the free prostate cancer screenings. Testing is recommended for men 50 and older. Test results will be confidentially mailed to participants, and if requested, their physicians. To learn more or register for this free screening event, call (269) 783.3053.