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Hafsås / NTB Tone
We visited Lars Bjerke (56) at his home in Drøbak. Here we are welcomed by a furry welcoming committee, made up of the dogs Alfred and Lizzie, who seem to appreciate the opportunity to appear in the newspaper.
The 56-year-old himself works as a veterinarian, has a girlfriend and two older children. Having the opportunity to live a normal, active life today does not come naturally.
Variant “friendlier”
Go back to 2013. Lars is 49 years old, notices the tendency to urinate slowly, and is always the last to emerge from the bushes on a child’s journey.
One of his closest friends is currently being treated for an aggressive type of prostate cancer, and Lars decides to go to the doctor and check on his safety.
– The GP had not discovered anything in the control, but I took a PSA that was a bit elevated, he says.
PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen. This is an enzyme that is made in the prostate gland and can be detected with a blood test. An increase in PSA levels in the blood can be a sign of prostate cancer.
Lars’ daughters were 19 and 21 when he fell ill, and he was afraid of not being able to see them grow up. Photo: Jil Yngland / NTB theme
– My friend and I were born a week apart, and we’ve known each other since we were 23 years old. I followed his career, with what is one of the worst forms of prostate cancer. So I was also very nervous on my part, as I had a high PSA.
With elevated PSA, he is sent for a single exam and possible biopsy. The biopsy shows whether it is a benign or malignant cancer and which treatment you need more.
In 2015, Lars took a biopsy that showed that he apparently had the benign form and that he currently had no spread. He was advised to wait and see if it changed, with so-called active monitoring.
This scheme exists to avoid operating more than necessary, but Lars was concerned that he was one of those with cancer that eventually turns into malignancy.
Also read: Thousands of women have postponed cervical testing
– Survival above all
– For me, it was inappropriate to wait and see. Actually, I was very afraid of ending up in the same situation as my friend, where the cancer spread, says Lars.
– I panicked a bit and thought “this is cancer, I have to get rid of it now!” When you’re 50 and have cancer, survival comes first.
The panic came not only from fear for their own lives, but also from missing the lives of their daughters.
– At that time they were 19 and 21 years old. Although they are quite adults, I would be there for them. I wanted to see them grow up, get an education, have boyfriends and kids. You want to make the most of the life you have, he says.
Therefore, Lars decided to have surgery and decided to pay himself to do it in Germany. He had read about different clinics and found that fewer people struggle with ailments after a single operation there than in Norway. The most common complications are potency and incontinence problems.
– Going to Germany may not have been necessary, but the percentages with the lowest risk of problems seemed extremely important to me at 50 years of age. It is much easier to live normally and socially out of trouble.
Although he had some kidney complications and was forced to undergo surgery two more times, the cancer disappeared. Lars talks about three years of post-operative potency problems and the effects it had on his psyche. However, today he is completely healthy and can happily boast that the cancer was discovered before it spread.
– Most of the time there are no symptoms
The urination problems made it possible for Lars to detect the cancer early, and it is a symptom many people associate with prostate cancer. There’s a catch, though, says Prostate Cancer Association (PROFO) chairman Daniel Ask.
– People talk a lot about symptoms, but if you have to sit back and wait for them, you’re out too late, says Ask.
– A study conducted a few years ago showed that almost all people with prostate cancer are diagnosed by chance. Only 5 percent have symptoms when the cancer is in an early stage. For the vast majority, cancer has already spread when symptoms first appear, and for 60 percent of those diagnosed, it is too late for curative treatment.
Daniel Ask himself contracted prostate cancer when he was in his 50s, and over the years he has lost more than one friend to this type of cancer. Therefore, he has chosen to get involved politically to spread knowledge about the disease.
– Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in Norway, and around 5,000 men get it each year. Up to 52,000 men are also living with the disease, and many of those who discovered cancer too late have to live with harsh treatments and troublesome side effects, he says.
– The prognoses for survival for more than five years are very good, but we cannot just focus on these statistics when about 1000 men die from the disease each year. In addition, many thousands live with proliferation because they discover cancer too late.
Also read: – Who really knows how many lives have been lost
Sweden sees results
Ash is convinced that steps must be taken to change the grim statistics and believes that the first step along the way is to introduce an organized PSA test for all men after the age of 45. Until this is introduced, it is the responsibility of the men to take the test.
– Traditionally, many have opposed unnecessary testing of men for fear of overtreatment, Ask says.
– However, both the assessment and the treatments and follow-up today are something completely different from what it was a few years ago. The European Urological Association recommends the introduction of organized tests, and today there is a very low risk of overtreatment.
Ash is supported by Andreas Hole, director of the association’s secretariat. In the coming weeks, they will launch a single campaign for men over 45 to put themselves to the test.
– In Scania, Sweden, they introduced a screening program for men between the ages of 50 and 74 last year, which has reduced mortality from prostate cancer by 30 percent. While we wait for the Norwegian authorities to introduce something similar, the bottom line is simply that men should get tested early. Early detection saves lives, and you can’t wait for symptoms to appear, Hole says.
– Norway is on top of the world when it comes to prostate cancer mortality, and it’s not a good podium to be on. A PSA test is a simple blood test that can provide a good indicator of whether further testing is needed.
– How much is your life worth?
Andreas Hole believes that some of the reasons why not enough is being done in this area is that prostate cancer is often considered an “old man’s disease.” He says a study is currently underway to compare the costs of a massive survey with the costs of many people who discover the disease too late.
– The calculation of the costs and the number of years of life lost has to do with the politics and economics of health. “How much is your life worth?” Figures from the Cancer Registry show that many more young men contract the disease, but we also do not believe that life is less valuable when they are past 60 or 70. Most people of that age still have many good years left. says Hole.
– We already have good measures to prevent breast cancer and cervical cancer in women, so the issue also has a gender equality perspective, adds Daniel Ask.
– The Ministry of Health decided not to introduce massive tests in 2005 and justified it with the argument that the gender equality perspective did not compensate for the lack of professional and scientific foundations for its implementation. Today, this foundation is in place, believe.
– Nearly all Western European professionals recommend screening men over 45 years of age. Additionally, testing in Sweden has shown a 30 percent increase, which may indicate that 300 more Norwegians will be able to survive each year with the introduction of such screening.
– you have had lucky
Lars Bjerke also participates in the Prostate Cancer Association and hopes that Norway will follow the European recommendations for early testing. He emphasizes the importance of such organizations existing and able to fight for these issues.
– I fight because I can, for those who did not know. If you find you have little time to live, don’t go and sign up with an organization, Lars says.
– Being completely healthy, at the same time that I have seen my friend live strongly affected by a more aggressive type of cancer, puts things in perspective. I understand how lucky I have been.
Early detection offers a lower risk of bothersome side effects, says Lars Bjerke. Here he dries mushrooms that he himself grows at his home in Drøbak. Photo: Jil Yngland / NTB theme
Lars believes that it is extremely important for men to prove themselves. If more people can find cancer early, they may get away with much easier treatments.
– Since the chances of you having symptoms before it’s too late are small, you think it is alpha and omega to try.
– You like to think that “this is not happening to me”, and most of the time you are right about that. But if a little blood test can help you prevent the spread of cancer, then it’s worth it.
Also read: – We are looking for the needle in the haystack (+)
Facts about prostate cancer
* Prostate cancer is by far the largest form of cancer in Norway. About 5,000 men contract the disease each year.
* About 1000 men die each year from the disease.
* The average age for prostate cancer diagnosis in Norway is 69 years, and the number of men in their 50s has increased significantly in recent years.
* Only about 5 percent experience symptoms at an early stage.
* 60 percent discover the disease so late that curative treatment cannot be offered.
* The European Urological Association recommends the introduction of prostate cancer screening programs.
* PSA screening tests in Sweden show that this gives clear results: over time, up to 30 percent fewer people die from prostate cancer. This shows the research project where 20,000 men have been followed for more than 20 years.
Source: Prostate Cancer Association (PROFO)
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