聽Leanne Kopp sees it all the time: men diagnosed with an aggressive prostate cancer they didn鈥檛 see coming until it was life-threatening or life-altering.
Typically, these men didn鈥檛 have a regular prostate-specific antigen test, commonly referred to as a PSA blood test, to complement their digital rectal exam, said Kopp, executive director of the Island Prostate Centre.
鈥淏ecause the health-care system has failed them,鈥� she said.
There鈥檚 a lot of controversy in medical fields about the usefulness of the PSA test, but Kopp doesn鈥檛 mince words 鈥� it saves lives. Period.
The not-for-profit Island Prostate Centre, at 1900 Richmond Rd., was established in November 2000. Kopp has been at the centre for 15 of its 18聽years.
鈥淎 very lean machine,鈥� with an annual operational budget of about $400,000, the centre gives support to men and their families through free prostate health information, education, programs and counselling 鈥� before, during and after a diagnosis.
One in seven Vancouver Island men is diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Nine out of 10 times, it is asymptomatic, said Kopp: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know there鈥檚 anything鈥檚 wrong.鈥� But when caught early, there鈥檚 a 90 to 95 per cent success rate for a cure, she said.
When caught at Stage 4, however, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a whole different ball game.鈥�
When the cancer is aggressive, Kopp sees men, often hesitant to talk about their emotions or health care, come into the centre bewildered by their diagnosis, overwhelmed by information they found on the internet and anxious.
鈥淢en can suffer and they can go to a really dark place,鈥� said Kopp.
Run by Kopp, registered nurse Connie Degenstein (the centre鈥檚 prostate-health nurse navigator) and a part-time administrator, the centre works with urologists and other Island experts.
The centre鈥檚 full-time nurse navigator gives clients 鈥渁n hour, two hours, whatever time they need鈥� to ask questions 鈥� time not聽always available through specialists.
鈥淭here is not a centre like ours across the country that men can come to and get this level of support 鈥� free of charge, no referral,鈥� said Kopp.
Referrals come from family doctors, urologists, hospitals, the sa国际传媒 Cancer Agency and past clients.
鈥淢en are so appreciative of what we do,鈥� said Kopp. 鈥淭hey walk out of our door and the stress is gone. They understand what their diagnosis means and what treatment options are available to them.鈥�
The Health Ministry pays for a standard digital rectal examination, recommended annually in fit men 50 to 70 years of age, but it doesn鈥檛 pay for a PSA test outside certain criteria (for monitoring prostate cancer, detection of early recurrence, or those suspected of having prostate cancer due to signs or symptoms).
Privately, the test costs about $35.
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends a PSA test combined with a digital rectal exam to increase the chance of finding prostate cancer early, when it is easier to treat.
Kopp said the test is 鈥渋mperfect,鈥� but the rationale for not giving the test 鈥� that a false positive could lead to unnecessary stress, overtreatment, interventions or surgery 鈥� is a gross 鈥渙verstatement.鈥�
鈥淛ust because one鈥檚 [PSA] level is rising doesn鈥檛 automatically mean it鈥檚 cancer. It鈥檚 a simple indicator.鈥� A positive reading would lead to a second test.
Last year, the centre served about 3,000 clients. On Sept. 8 at Tillicum shopping mall, sponsored by Country Grocer, the centre performed 鈥渁 staggering鈥� 690 blood tests in less than five hours 鈥渂ecause the province doesn鈥檛 do it.鈥�
Funding from the Victoria Foundation provides screening and health promotion on-site at Victoria Cool Aid Society locations.
