POINT PLEASANT — Prevention is the key to maintaining a healthy life style.

And the Mason County Health Department staff along with Shrikant Vaidya, M.D., and Pleasant Valley Hospital Laboratory Outreach Services certainly worked to spread awareness of prostate cancer with their annual free prostate cancer screening clinic, which was held Thursday. The clinic was held because September is “Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.”

Vaidya, a urologist, has helped with the clinic for several years. The clinic, which had 92 participants, was open to men ages 45 and up, and the exam provided by Vaidya included the digital rectal exam and a PSA blood test. Those who attended the clinic will receive their test results as well as any follow-up recommendations via mail.

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer, other than certain types of skin cancer, among men in the United States. Prostate cancer also is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, but it is still one of the most survivable cancers if it is detected early. In 2003, 97 percent of those diagnosed with prostate cancer survived at least five years while 79 percent reached 10 years survival and 60 percent achieved greater than 15 years of survival.

The dramatic change in survival rates over the years is attributed to being able to detect the cancer earlier as well as the better treatment options that are now available. According to Vaidya, prostate cancer has no symptoms when it starts because it is so deeply manifested, and for several years the cancer wasn’t diagnosed during the early stages. Vaidya attributed the PSA blood test as making it possible to locate prostate cancer at a much earlier age.

“Our motto is early detection and prompt treatment. (The clinic) is doing the early detection phase,” Vaidya said.

In addition, he described the test as the clinic’s main purpose because any one with abnormal test results will be able to get further help to see if they test positive for cancer. PSA stands for prostate specific antigen which is a substance produced by the prostate gland. Elevated PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer or a non-cancerous condition such as prostatitis or an enlarged prostate. The PSA screening test involves drawing blood, usually from the arm. The results are sent to a laboratory and typically come back within several days.

Vaidya described the clinic as being vital to the community.

“A lot of patients who come here don’t get regular prostate checks or can’t afford it. (At the clinic) they have the chance to get the exam done by a urologist and then can reconfirm any findings with their physician,” Vaidya said.

He added that the media has been helpful in spreading awareness of prostate cancer.

The health department encouraged men ages 45 as well as men at high risk, those with a family history of prostate cancer or those who are African American to contact their physician about information receiving a prostate exam.

For more information on prostate cancer, call the health department at 304-675-3050.