On the Phil Lesh and Friends website, musician and founding member of Grateful Dead Lesh begins, "What do I have in common with Rudy Giuliani, John Kerry, Bob Dole, Joe Torre, Nelson Mandela, Sean Connery, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Emperor Akihito of Japan, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Quincy Jones, Roger Moore, Sydney Poitier, and Robert De Niro?" Prostate cancer.Lesh, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, will be undergoing the da Vinci robotic surgical procedure in December to remove the tumor. As a result of his prostate cancer diagnosis, he is urging all men to have a periodic PSA screening for early detection of prostate cancer.
In 1998, Lesh underwent a liver transplant as a result of chronic Hepatitis C infection. He has become an active advocate for organ donor programs and raising awareness for Hepatitis C. Lesh is expecting a full recovery from prostate cancer because it was caught in its early stage. Here are a few fast facts about prostate cancer:
- Age is the most common risk factor for prostate cancer.
- Prostate cancer often does not cause symptoms for many years.
- Two simple tests are performed as part of a prostate cancer screening --a digital rectal exam and a blood test (PSA) to screen for prostate specific antigen.
