The National Prostate Cancer Coalition is offering free screenings in Iowa to bring awareness to the disease. Linden Sharp is the coordinator for the Iowa screenings.He says one in six men over the age of 50 and one in three over the age of 65 will have prostate cancer. He says the numbers are higher in African-Americans and Hispanics. Sharp says early detection is one of the big keys to keeping the disease from becoming deadly. He says it doesn’t really show up for 10 to 12 years and he says if it’s caught early, there’s a 97-percent survival rate. Sharp says your age and nationality determine when you should start getting tests for prostate cancer.He says African-Americans and Hispanics should be screened when they turn 40, and every five years until they’re 50, and then have it every year. Caucasians and others should be screened starting at 50 and every year after that. The coalition has sent a large motor home to Iowa filled with the equipment needed to conduct the test. He says they take the blood and have physicians assistants that give the physical exam. He says participants get the test results mailed in four weeks. The coalition says Iowa is one of the few states that does not have a law mandating that insurance companies cover prostate cancer screenings. The free screenings are available today in Des Moines at the Hy-Vee on Army Post Road from 10 A.M. until seven p.m.
