(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A local cancer expert says there could be a silver lining amid the controversy surrounding the delay by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in revealing his prostate cancer diagnosis and a related complication.
Dr. Kent Perry of Northwestern Medicine said Austin's doctors have revealed that the prostate cancer was detected at an early stage through routine screening.
Perry said Austin also had a robotic laparoscopic-assisted prostatectomy, "which is an excellent treatment" in his opinion.
Austin is Black, and Perry explains why it's important for African-American men to get screened for prostate cancer.
"Their risk is 70% higher than that of Caucasian men for developing prostate cancer," Perry said. "Additionally if they do develop prostate cancer, they are more than twice as likely to die from that prostate cancer as Caucasian men."
The American Cancer Society recommends African-American men start prostate cancer screenings when they turn 45, which is up to 10 years younger than the usual recommended age.
Perry hopes Austin's case will convince more Black men to follow that advice.
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