Get screened for the leading cancer type in men at this Fort Worth event
Men can get free prostate cancer screenings at the annual Healthy Lives Matter screening event in Fort Worth on Feb. 22.
The event, celebrating its 11th year, offers free prostate cancer screenings to any adult man. Prostate cancer is the leading type of cancer in men, and second leading cause of cancer death in men in the U.S.
The event is hosted by Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. and his predecessor Roy Charles Brooks from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Moncrief Cancer Institute, 400 W. Magnolia Ave.. Brooks started the event more than a decade ago after surviving a prostate cancer diagnosis, Miles said.
Prostate cancer is particularly important to screen for because it is so common in men, said Dr. Keith Argenbright, the director of the Moncrief Cancer Institute, and because when prostate cancer is caught early, there are more treatment options available.
“Prostate cancer is a slow-growing cancer and typically is curable if found in the early stages,” Argenbright said. “The problem is most men don’t get diagnosed until a later stage when it’s already spread and we don’t have the same treatment options.”
Black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer are at a particularly high risk for getting sick. They die from prostate cancer at a rate two times that of white men, according to data from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
At the screening event, participants can get a blood draw to measure the PSA, or prostate specific antigen, levels in their blood. About a week after the event, participants will learn if their PSA levels are normal or elevated. If one’s PSA levels are elevated, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have prostate cancer, Argenbright said. High PSA levels could indicate early-stage prostate cancer, but they could also indicate an enlarged prostate or another issue.
Moncrief is committed to assisting men throughout the screening process, Argenbright said, and will help patients figure out their next steps for diagnosis if they have elevated PSA levels.
Annual prostate screening is recommended for all men 50 years and older. Black men and men with a history of prostate cancer in the family are recommended to begin annual screenings at 45.
“Every year we find someone who has cancer who didn’t know it,” Argenbright said.
The event is open to adults with and without health insurance, and those who are uninsured can get screened for free.
To register for the event, visit tarrantcountytx.gov/prostateevent.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 1:07 PM.
