State Rep. Geraldo Reyes announced last week that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It started when his health insurance contacted him to undergo a series of exams.
Reyes did all health tests except the PCA screening for prostate cancer. He said he chose not to do it because he had been to his yearly physical exams and thought he didn't need it.
"My general doctor found very small traces of blood in the samples that he was looking at. The urologist confirmed that I had prostate cancer,” Reyes said.
He said nine months passed from the time his insurance company contacted him to the time he went to the urologist.
Reyes' time was valuable, as he needed to treat the disease. He started treatment with Trinity Health in the Waterbury Hospital. Fourteen months since his first screening, his surgery was performed at Hartford Hospital. He said the experience inspired him to advocate for men, especially men of color and Hispanic men, to get screened.
"We tend to downplay doctors. I felt pretty good,” he said of his attitude toward testing for prostate cancer before the signs of blood. “My thought and my approach on this is I'm gonna take this experience … and turn it into a positive and use it as a teachable moment."
The Prostate Cancer Foundationreports prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Hispanic/Latino men in the U.S., with 17,000 new diagnoses and 2,000 deaths annually.
Reyes said he had no disease symptoms in the early stages of prostate cancer, but he wants to create awareness among other men diagnosed with "slow-moving cancer."
Dr. Edward Myer, who works at Middlesex Hospital, said symptoms may not be a reliable indicator of cancer. However, he said men can experience symptoms, such as low urinary stream and waking up frequently at night to urinate.
"They might experience abdominal pain, bloating, back pain, all those are kind of nonspecific symptoms, and the urinary system certainly is more likely just due to benign enlargement of the prostate than prostate cancer,” Myer said. “ So the goal of screening is to find the prostate cancer before it becomes symptomatic.”
Myer recommends men start their routine prostate cancer screening at 50 years old and continue it until about 74 years old.
He said the treatment for prostate cancer, such as radiation therapy, surgery, or hormone deprivation, can affect sexual activity. But, there are ways to mitigate that effect with medications or surgery.
"It really is a difficult problem to overcome, and I think it keeps a lot of men from going ahead with screening for prostate cancer," Myer said. "And if they are screened for prostate cancer, it keeps some of them from going ahead with further steps."
According to theProstate Cancer Foundation, Hispanic/Latino men diagnosed with prostate cancer appear to be more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age, and with higher risk disease. The American Cancer Associationalso adds that Black men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer, with earlier presentation, more aggressive disease, and higher mortality rates.
The Societyalso said cultural factors for higher risk cancers include “generalized mistrust of the health care system, poor physician-patient communication, lack of information on prostate cancer and treatment options, fear of a diagnosis, and perceived societal stigma of the disease.”
Because of these factors, Reyes, a Democrat representing Waterbury, promoted a new initiative at the state Capitol last week to spread awareness around men's health, and specifically prostate cancer. He said Rep. Dave Yaccarino, R–North Haven, and former Rep. Chris Ziogas have all served in the Connecticut House of Representatives while dealing with prostate cancer.
"Most men tend to think, ‘Well, good. I don't have to do anything. I'm in good shape,'" Reyes said. “So I'm wondering if we're sending mixed messages or misunderstanding to patients when we use the word ‘slow moving,’ and ‘not aggressive,’ especially when you're dealing with men who are already apprehensive about medical terms, to begin with."
Reyes said the support system around him, which consisted of women like his wife, daughters, eight sisters, and the community, helped him to stay strong. He said men should prioritize their health — and there's no shame in that.
"Our job is to be the backbone of the family. I wanted to use this as a tool so that men of color, in particular Hispanic men, would come out, and first of all, get screened," Reyes said. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. It's a medical concern, and you're gonna be able to catch it early. You're gonna be fine."
