A local man is urging other men to get tested for one of the most common cancers in men – prostate cancer – after surviving his own battle with the disease.
Bruce Waldie, 62, has been prostate cancer-free for the past six years following the removal of his prostate.
“The main thing is to get tested. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men,” he said.
Waldie was prompted to come forward with his story after reading about the prostate awareness campaign being undertaken by Mountain View Publishing.
Waldie got tested for the disease at age 50, since prostate cancer runs in his family. His father John died of the disease at age 77, while his older brother Ken, now 69, has survived his own battle with prostate cancer.
“Again, it was diagnosed a little too late. The cancer had spread, but he's doing fine now,” Waldie said, adding that Ken is now on a vegan diet and doing rounds of androgen deprivation therapy that reduces hormone levels.
Waldie said at his initial test, his prostate specific antigen (PSA) level was higher than normal but still within an acceptable range.
According to the WebMD website, most men have a PSA level under four nanograms per millilitre of blood.
In subsequent annual testing, Waldie's PSA level began rising to the point that the level was five times higher than the first test. He was then given antibiotics to reduce the size of the prostate, which also helped decrease his PSA level, Waldie said.
Subsequently, however, Waldie's PSA level began rising, to the point that he had a biopsy which confirmed he had cancer. When he was 56, he had surgery to remove his prostate.
Waldie said in his case he knew that it was a slow-growing cancer, and when the diagnosis was confirmed, he was confident that surgery would be successful.
“It's been six years now (since the surgery) and they've officially declared me cured. I still need to do the PSA test each year, but it's been negligible for six years,” he said.
