July 15, 2024
FOX29 Philadelphia/YouTube
FOX29 anchor Mike Jerrick, shown above with medical contributor Mike Cirigliano, underwent surgery to treat prostate cancers. He plans to return to 'Good Day Philadelphia' in the near future.
Longtime FOX29 anchor Mike Jerrick revealed Monday that he recently had surgery to remove his prostate after he was diagnosed with cancer in May. Jerrick had been absent from "Good Day Philadelphia" for several weeks, raising concern among viewers about his well-being.
"Good Day Philadelphia" co-host Alex Holley introduced a segment Monday morning in which Jerrick appeared with his surgeon to discuss his medical journey.
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"We've been spending a lot of time together, haven't we?" Jerrick said with a smile alongside FOX29 medical contributor Mike Cirigliano, a practicing physician at the University of Pennsylvania.
In May, Jerrick got a routine blood test known as the prostate-specific antigen test, which is recommended for men as early as 40. The test measures levels of a protein that's produced by both healthy and cancerous cells. When PSA levels are elevated or they rise from one test to another, it's considered an early sign that further evaluation is needed.
Although PSA levels can vary from person to person, the widely used standard is 4 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Jerrick, 74, said his PSA level jumped into the teens after his test in May. His doctor referred him to Penn Medicine urologist Daniel Lee, who reviewed an MRI of Jerrick's prostate for a better look at what was happening. A biopsy later revealed that Jerrick had cancer.
"Because there was a little sliver of the cancer leaving the prostate area, he recommended surgery," Jerrick said. "I could have just done nothing, just look at it, or hit it with radiation for a couple of years. But I agreed with him. Let's get that sucker out of me."
The surgery Jerrick got is called a robotic prostatectomy, a machine-assisted procedure that involves removing the prostate through a small incision in the abdomen.
"One of the things that makes the decision easy is that you have a whole life ahead of you. You're vibrant. You're intact," Cirigliano said. "And so it's a personal decision. Everyone has to decide individually whether they want to do something like radiation or, in your case, robotic prostatectomy."
Had Jerrick waited much longer, he was told there was a good possibility the cancer would have spread outside the prostate. Cases of metastatic prostate cancer often require treatments other than surgery, including hormone therapy and chemotherapy.
Jerrick, who's known for joking around and sometimes pushing the envelope on "Good Day Philadelphia," put to rest any speculation about why he's been missing.
"I wasn't suspended. I wasn't fired. I didn't get into trouble. I wasn't on a long vacation. I was getting this taken care of," Jerrick said.
The host is hopeful he will be able to return to the station after a few more weeks of recovery. He thanked Holley for visiting him in the hospital after his surgery and credited his medical team for their support.
About 1 in 8 men in the United States are diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime. Black men have a higher risk — about 1 in 6 — and are more than twice as likely to die from it. This is often due to health care disparities that delay detection of the disease until more advanced stages.
Men as early as 40 are advised to get a PSA test every one to two years, depending on their baseline readings.
The prostate is a chestnut-sized gland located just below the bladder in men. Apart from its primary reproductive function, the prostate produces hormones and regulates the flow of urine. Medical problems with the prostate — including cancer — become more common as men get older. Those who come from families with a history of cancer are higher risk.
Screening for prostate cancer is especially important because most men don't experience any early symptoms related to the disease. Men with enlarged prostates — known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH — may experience urinary symptoms. BPH isn't a known risk factor for prostate cancer, but the two conditions can overlap.
Some men choose not to get PSA screenings because there has been conflicting federal guidance about them over the last 15 years. Although the tests sometimes lead to overdiagnoses and treatment of cancer in low-risk patients, PSA screening can be lifesaving for men like Jerrick who are able to detect potentially more aggressive cases early. Rates of metastatic prostate cancer have been on the rise over the last decade due to a lack of preventative testing that helps doctors intervene before the disease spreads.
"Guys, go get the simple blood test for goodness sake," Jerrick said.
After a prostate cancer diagnosis is made, men will consult with their doctors to figure out the best path forward. That could include active surveillance — a wait-and-see approach to closely monitor the cancer — or a choice between surgery and radiation, which have similar cure rates, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Surgery is considered an early-stage treatment option for men whose cancer has not spread to distant sites like the bones and lymph nodes. Recovery from the surgery may involve an extended period to restore urinary and sexual function. Compared with radiation, surgery is associated with fewer side effects related to bowel function.
Radiation is considered an effective treatment option that may be done on its own or in combination with surgery. Radiation may be recommended to older men and others who are deemed to be at higher risk for complications from surgery. Because radiation takes place over a longer period of time than surgery, some men decide surgery is their best option to remove the cancer quickly.
The five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is 99% for men who get treated when the disease is confined to the prostate or the immediate surrounding region, according to the American Cancer Society. Once the disease reaches distant parts of the body, the five-year survival rate falls to 34%.
Jerrick received guidance and support from fellow Philadelphia media member Steve Morrison of WMMR's "Preston and Steve" radio show. Morrison was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 and also underwent surgery to have his prostate removed.
Jerrick said he's been doing well since his surgery and looks forward to being back on "Good Day Philadelphia."
"I feel pretty good. I just want to thank everybody at FOX for being so supportive of me," Jerrick said. "Alex was there with me through the whole thing."
