Yvette Walker
With KVCR News, I'm Yvette Walker. This is IE Latino Voices, where we invite representatives from Latino led and Latino serving organizations to share their stories and their impact in our region. Joining me today is Dr. Isaac Kelly, Urologist at Inland Urology Medical Group. Thank you so much for being with us today, Dr Kelly.
Dr. Isaac Kelly
Absolutely.
Yvette Walker
What is Urology?
Dr. Isaac Kelly
Urology is basically involved with the urinary tract. So the main organs of the urinary tract are the kidneys and the bladder, the urethra, the tubes that connect those, then you have a couple other parts to it. So in men, you have the prostate, and then you also have the urethra that you pee out of. Our practice is probably 60 to 70% male patients, but we also have plenty of female patients dealing with urine infection, issues, kidney stones. So we treat a wide range of conditions, both kidney cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, but then also infections, and incontinence.
Yvette Walker
Please talk about prostate health.
Dr. Isaac Kelly
The prostate, for better or worse, doesn't really do much that's helpful in the body. It's kind of one of those things that is there, and for the most part, seems to just give problems. It's an organ that produces fluid that comes out of the body, and that's really most of what we think it does, but it sits right around the base of the bladder. So when you urinate, your urine is going through the center of the prostate. As the prostate grows, which is natural over time, so as men age, it's starting to block off that flow. So it makes the bladder have to work harder, even leading to infections. Sometimes you can't urinate at all. It damages your kidneys. So there's all these kind of progressive things that happen as the prostate is growing and blocking things off more. The symptoms of the prostate cancer are not from the obstruction that happens. That obstruction is just the normal growth of the prostate that happens as you age under the influence of testosterone. So that's why only men have a prostate and only men can have prostate issues. We have a very simple test that can help us think about, well, what are the chances of you having prostate cancer? And it's a blood test. It's called the PSA. Once you get to about 40 or 45 you should start having your PSA done every one to two years. And at that age, your PSA should be under two to three. And then as you're getting older, your PSA should slowly be increasing. So up to around 65/70, your PSA may be close to four, but that wouldn't be too abnormal. So we have to think about that blood level at an age adjusted value, and then also how fast it's increasing.
Yvette Walker
Are there things men can do to prevent the onset of prostate cancer?
Dr. Isaac Kelly
Because it tends to progress much more slowly than other cancers, the people who die of prostate cancer, which many men do, it's when they're in their 60s, 70s, 80s, so they're older. At that point, these are the same people who are also having heart disease and stroke and blood pressure issues and diabetes. And so you have to be healthy enough to make it to 60 or 70 or 80 to even really worry about prostate cancer. So if you're not eating healthy, if you're not exercising, if you're not keeping your diabetes well controlled. If you have that, then prostate cancer is probably not going to be the thing that ends your life. It could be but, I would focus more on those lifestyle things. And it's not specific to the prostate per se, but it is helping you live long enough to have this even be something you need to worry about.
Yvette Walker
What does prostate cancer treatment look like?
Dr. Isaac Kelly
The two main treatments are radiation and surgery, and they each have their own unique side effects. Surgery can be an issue where guys have problems with erections afterwards, problems with some control of urine. We do have some surgical techniques to minimize that, called a nerve sparing approach, which is more useful, again, the earlier we catch the cancer. But anytime you have surgery, there's always recovery and side effects and things like that. Once it progresses a little bit further, then you have to add in the hormone therapy, and we actually give them chemicals that turn off their body's testosterone. So it really is like a male menopause. They'll get hot flashes. Their bones become weaker. They get osteoporosis sometimes, and so we have to encourage them to be active. There can be some depression issues. It can be a challenge for men. Some men in particular, it's a very difficult experience. And so the challenge is, how do we find the cancer at an early enough phase that we could cure it if we need to, from the biopsy? So, a biopsy is how we find prostate cancer, usually, and it scares guys. It involves having an ultrasound probe put up the back side, which is uncomfortable. It's just a mentally anxiety provoking thing. And what I tell my patients, and I think most of them would agree with, is that after you've had one, you would be able to tell your friends it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. It wasn't going to be not a joy, but it was something that I could get through.
Yvette Walker
What's the best way to take the first step and connect with Inland Urology Medical Group to ensure that they're not going down the road of developing prostate cancer?
Dr. Isaac Kelly
So again, it's a completely asymptomatic disease, and so if you wait until you have symptoms, it's probably going to be too late for us to cure you. It's really that blood test and it's a very simple blood test. It can be done with your annual physical with your primary care doctor, and then if your primary care doctor doesn't feel comfortable doing that, they certainly could refer you on to a urologist. Our website is inlandurology.com and we're happy to help you in any way we can.
Yvette Walker
Thank you so much for being with us today, Dr Kelly.
Dr. Isaac Kelly
Absolutely. It was a pleasure.
Yvette Walker
Join us again next week for IE Latino Voices. You can find this story and others on our website at kvcrnews.org/IELatinoVoices. IE Latino Voices is produced by KVCR Public Media, and is funded by generous support from San Antonio Regional Hospital. Here for life. For KVCR News, I'm Yvette Walker.
