Prostate cancer highly treatable if screened, caught early

Sixty-three.

That’s how many times doctors had to biopsy Tom Newton’s prostate to find a cancer cell the thickness of a single sheet of paper.

But they kept at it, and Newton is thankful they did.

Two years after being treated for prostate cancer, Newton is happy to say he is cancer free.

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and Texas Oncology in Longview is offering free prostate cancer screenings Wednesday.

Studies show that while prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men (after skin cancer), it can often be treated successfully. More than 2 million men in the United States count themselves as prostate cancer survivors. About one man in seven will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.