Former NIH director reveals prostate cancer diagnosis
The former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Francis S. Collins, revealed his prostate cancer
Collins said he knew his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were going up, and an increase in those can mean the presence of prostate cancer
But an MRI scan from a month ago revealed he had an expanding tumor and spiking PSA levels.
New biopsies taken from the mass showed transformation into a much more aggressive cancer,” Collins wrote in the essay.
Collins was the director of the NIH from 2009-21. He heads the White House initiative to “eliminate hepatitis C” in the U.S.
Collins said a PET scan determined “There was no detectable evidence of cancer outside of the primary tumor.
He said he would have to undergo a radical prostatectomy procedure to remove his entire prostate gland later this month.
“While there are no guarantees, my doctors believe I have a high likelihood of being cured by the surgery,” he wrote.
The physician-geneticist pointed to a high prostate cancer survival rate — 97 percent, per American Cancer Society
“Why am I going public about this cancer that many men are uncomfortable talking about,” Collins wrote.
See all Latest News from here