Gordon Snow tackles stigma  around prostate ‘finger test | The Daily Herald

’~Don’t let fear stop you from getting tested~PHILIPSBURG--Fear and embarrassment surrounding the so-called “finger test” are still keeping some men from confronting prostate cancer, The Daily Herald Editor-in-Chief Gordon Snow, a prostate cancer survivor, said Monday, urging men not to allow misconceptions about the examination to stand between them and potentially life-saving testing.
 Snow made the comments at the start of the Central Committee meeting on the draft 2027 budget, drawing on his own experience with prostate cancer and the extensive testing he underwent after being diagnosed at age 55. He was invited by Parliament to speak about prostate cancer in light of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. 
 He said more men are coming forward to be tested and that this year has been a record year for men taking prostate cancer tests. However, he said stigma remains and that there is still much more work to be done.
According to Snow, some men are uncomfortable with the idea of being tested because of an “urban legend” surrounding the so-called finger test and the misconception that the test involves a male doctor simply examining the rectum to determine whether someone has prostate cancer.
 Snow stressed that this is a misunderstanding of the testing process. The first test that detected his own prostate cancer was a blood test measuring prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an enzyme produced by the prostate that provides an indication of prostate health.
 Snow said he began taking blood tests at age 40 on the advice of Dr. Luc Knol of Great Bay Clinic. He had no prior family history of prostate cancer but had been advised to include PSA testing as part of regular blood testing.
 He had been doing the blood tests for approximately 15 years when his prostate cancer was detected. His PSA level had risen from 3.7 to 12 in approximately one and a half years. Snow said anything below 4 is considered healthy.
 But after the blood test raised concerns, he had to undergo a series of further examinations.‘It’s not what you think’
Snow said the examination that many men fear is only one part of the process. He explained that doctors have to conduct invasive tests in some cases to determine whether cancer has spread and how far it has progressed. Snow underwent a biopsy, describing it as a far more extensive procedure than the examination many men are apprehensive about. He said a device is inserted through the rectum and needles are used to take samples directly from the prostate. In his case, 21 samples were taken. The procedure was performed under anesthesia, meaning he did not feel it while it was being done. But Snow said the experience afterward was far from comfortable.
 He described waking up after the procedure and feeling extremely vulnerable, and said that after the surgery he experienced pain and had to pass blood in his urine for approximately a week. Despite the discomfort, Snow said these tests are important because doctors need to determine how far the cancer has progressed.
 He explained that the physical examination can allow doctors to assess the tumour, including whether it feels hard or soft, and that the results can help indicate whether the cancer may already have begun to spread.‘There is no shame’
 Snow said the stigma surrounding the examination needs to be confronted. He pointed to the women in society who undergo invasive examinations for breast and cervical cancer and said these women do so despite the discomfort because they want to remain healthy for their families.
 He urged men to adopt the same attitude toward their own health. Snow said men should think about the people who depend on them, including their children, partners and extended families. He said men should not allow embarrassment about an examination to become more important than their health. Snow also stressed that prostate cancer is not exclusively an older man's disease. He recalled a case last year involving a 43-year-old local man who had an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Snow himself was diagnosed at 55.
 He urged men, particularly those with a family history of prostate cancer, not to take the disease lightly. The point, Snow said, is not to allow fear of an uncomfortable examination to prevent early detection. “There is no shame in talking about it,” Snow said.
 He encouraged men to start with the blood test and to seek medical attention rather than postponing testing. “Go and have that blood test and don’t procrastinate,” Snow said.