Next Week, Free Prostrate Screenings--What? Prostate?! Oh.

Virginia Mason says more than 350 men stopped in for a free prostate exam last year, so they're doing it again, with a visit to Seattle and Issaquah next week.

More than 55 million American men are at risk for prostate cancer, and early detection is key. That’s why Virginia Mason Medical Center, in partnership with ZERO: The Project to End Prostate Cancer and KOMO 4, will host the only mobile, free prostate cancer testing program Thursday, July 29, in Seattle and Friday, July 30, in Issaquah from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

In Seattle, look for the mobile unit near the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Seneca Street in front of the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason. In Issaquah, it'll be in the parking lot at 100 N.E. Gilman Blvd., at the Virginia Mason Issaquah clinic.

You're assured that the drop-in screening is free and confidential. Volunteers will explain the screening process (a PSA blood test and an optional physical exam: see above video) and answer any questions, while Virginia Mason providers will perform the screening. 

Because there are no appointments being taken, everyone will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Your confidential results should show up in three to four weeks. Virginia Mason will contact you by phone if you have a particularly high PSA score. Even so, it's not the end of the world: The PSA test produces a fairly high amount of false positives. The data shows that, of men who get a biopsy due to an elevated PSA level, only between 25 to 35 percent actually have prostate cancer.