Death rates for prostate cancer in Utah hit No. 4 in the US

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Utah ranks fourth in the U.S. for prostate cancer death rates.
One in 40 Utah men die from prostate cancer, highlighting screening issues.

SALT LAKE CITY — Former President Joe Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis has brought an old conversation to the forefront of headlines, and it's one that men in Utah need to hear, because right now, they have nearly the highest death rates for prostate cancer in the U.S.

According to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, 1 in 8 Utah men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, with roughly 2,000 to 3,000 new men diagnosed every year. Compared to other states, that puts Utah at No. 21 in the country.

But when it comes to prostate cancer deaths, Utah is well above average: 1 in 40 Utah men die from the disease. That puts Utah at No. 4 in the country for prostate cancer deaths.

Part of the problem is Utah men not getting screened as early as they should.

Other reasons for that could be Utahns' access to health care, especially in rural towns with older populations who live farther away from where they get treatment. It's part of the reason then-Vice President Biden visited the Huntsman Cancer Institute back in 2016 — to unite researchers to eliminate cancer.

Other reasons for that could be Utahns' access to healthcare, especially in rural towns with older populations who live farther away from where they get treatment. It's part of the reason then-Vice President Biden visited the Huntsman Cancer Institute back in 2016 — to unite researchers to eliminate cancer.

So what's the solution? Johnson said men need to be screened for prostate cancer starting at age 50.

There's now a simple blood test you can take, he said. But if you have a family history of prostate cancer, you may want to get screened sooner. At a bare minimum, 50 is the age men need to start talking with doctors about screening.

Still not sure? The University of Utah Prostate Risk Clinic offers resources to help.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.