Men encouraged to take free prostate test today

Men are being prodded today to check two important tasks off their to-do lists. No. 1: Vote. No 2: Visit the Man Van for a baseline prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

“They’re both actually quite painless,” said Linda Macnaughton, director of strategic and community initiatives with the Prostate Cancer Centre.

The centre is inviting men born in 1972 to visit Big Rock Brewery between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. for a free blood test and meal.

Just like marking an X on a ballot, the baseline PSA blood test is quick.

“The actual blood test takes about five minutes,” Macnaughton said.

Unlike voting though, the blood test comes with bacon doughnuts, beer and a sandwich.

“We’re going to try and give them the full meal deal,” Macnaughton said.

The first 100 men to visit the brewery today will receive a Spolumbo’s sandwich, Jelly Modern Doughnut, Big Rock beer and a visit to the Prostate Centre’s mobile testing unit, the Man Van.

The large van is decked out with a big-screen TV and leather recliners. A registered nurse will draw a blood sample, which will be tested in the centre’s lab.

In Alberta, one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to statistics, and the PSA blood test may help in the early detection of that cancer.

Macnaughton said today’s Man Day event is a chance to celebrate men who will turn 40 in 2012 and an opportunity to remove the stigma around prostate cancer and the negative connotations about getting tested.

In the same way that people who don’t vote may regret having no say in the provincial government, Macnaughton said men may regret not being proactive about their prostate health.

“If you don’t take the chance and get your first PSA test, somewhere along the way you might wish you did.”

The Prostate Cancer Centre recommends men have their first baseline PSA test at age 40. If results are normal, men are encouraged to have a second test at age 45 and a third at age 50. Men over 50 should be tested every year.

“We want men to start getting into the habit of having a PSA test,” said Macnaughton.