Miller urges prostate cancer checkups

Larry Henry

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1997 | 11:02 a.m.

Almost a year after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, Gov. Bob Miller is urging men to undergo regular checkups -- and to eat plenty of tofu and cooked tomatoes.

"The key is early detection," Miller said. "The other thing I learned is that diet can have a good deal to do with (prevention)."

Miller held a press conference Monday to issue a proclamation declaring Sept. 22-26 Nevada Prostate Cancer Awareness Week. Area hospitals will offer free prostate exams during that week. The hospitals include Columbia Sunrise, Valley, Desert Springs, St. Rose Dominican and University Medical Center.

Miller will testify at a Senate hearing in Washington on Sept. 23 with others who have had prostate cancer. Scheduled to join Miller are last year's Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole, former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson and New York Yankees General Manager Bob Watson.

Miller, now 52, underwent surgery in November at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles to remove a cancerous prostate gland. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that secretes the fluid that transports semen.

Miller said Monday that cancer has not been detected in other parts of his body. Miller's parents, Ross and Coletta, both died of cancer. The American Cancer Society facility in Las Vegas, opened in 1983, is named after his parents.

Miller also said he doesn't suffer from the side effects associated with some prostate surgery. His physician, Dr. Elias Ghanem, has said that 1 percent of those who undergo surgery experience difficulty urinating and 25 percent become impotent.

"I had the standard side effects, but those have all recessed," Miller said. "I have regular checkups to make sure the muscles work as they're supposed to."

During a light moment, Miller said he undergoes a regular "procedure to make sure I'm open and flowing."

Miller said all men over 50 should schedule regular checkups. He said black men should begin at age 40 because of higher incidences.

A packet of information that Miller made available indicates that research for prostate cancer is underfunded compared to other diseases.

Miller's numbers show that for each prostate death, $2,631 will be spent on research. AIDS research amounts to $72,000 for each death, while the total for breast cancer research is $9,730 per death.

The packet also notes that one man every 90 seconds learns he has prostate cancer. It says that 42,000 men will die of prostate cancer this year, up 35 percent from 1990.