(Maya Bejovic/ Heathing) — Charlie Taylor wasn’t nervous walking into his doctor’s office that day. In fact, he was certain that the biopsy results would show no signs of prostate cancer that told his wife to wait for him outside the clinic. He had no reason to doubt himself: he was in good health, enjoying a career in automotive sales that required frequent travel across the country, and had only recently retired from his side gig as a basketball referee.
Taylor didn’t have any symptoms of the disease that affects about one in eight men, according to the Canadian Cancer Society . In fact, at the time of diagnosis, he was on a health kick – he had dropped 50 pounds and was feeling great. But over the course of three years, his blood work showed that his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were steadily rising. Elevated or fluctuating PSA levels in the blood may indicate prostate cancer, but it can also be attributed to age and several benign conditions , including a urinary tract infection. (…)