At the invitation of James A. Garner, the mayor of Hempstead Village, I had the opportunity to address the health committee of the United States Conference of Mayors. Jim Garner is chairman of the organization. Because of my experience in combating prostate cancer, Jim wanted me to tell the story to his Committee of Mayors and health officials from across the country.

Traveling to Washington DC for the meeting, I was well prepared but did not realize that the other speaker on the panel would take a position on prostate cancer screening which really surprised me. Our panel was to deal with the efficacy of prostate cancer screening. Dr. Otis W. Brawley from the National Cancer Institute took the position that there was not enough evidence to say that screening could prevent death from prostate cancer. He reminded me of the client who wished that his attorney would have only one hand. That would prevent his lawyer saying, "On one hand this, and on the other hand that."

I believe that my experience with prostate cancer screening clearly identified how important it is for every man over 50 years of age to have a PSA test.

In my case, an alert doctor observed a PSA increase from 3.2 to 5.7 in a one year period. With anything below 4.0 normal, the 5.7 was a signal that something could be wrong. But, of more importance was the size of the increase. At his urging, I went to a urologist for further screening. With the urologist unable to feel a tumor, biopsies were called for. Of the first set of biopsies, five came back benign with one called atypical, not cancerous -- but possibly precancerous. Immediately, I had another set of biopsies taken.

With four "shots" taken around the previous atypical biopsy and two others taken apart from the atypical result, I received the bad news -- one of the biopsies came back cancerous. Screening for prostate cancer prevented me from becoming a statistic. For treatment, I chose radioactive seeds and am pleased to say that my PSA has been well below normal for over one year.

Each year over 40,000 men die of prostate cancer -- and that compares to AIDS killing 51,000, and breast cancer killing some 45,000 women.

One organization on Long Island is taking the lead in developing more awareness of prostate cancer. Cancer Care, Inc. of Woodbury - 364-8130, will be holding Long Island's first annual Walk Against Prostate Cancer. It will be held this fall at Jones Beach, and I have the honor of chairing the event. Closer to the date, I will give you the details in one of my columns.

With millions of American men afflicted by prostate cancer and a 60 percent higher incidence among African-Americans, creating a greater focus on prostate cancer is timely. But, remember, if you are a man over 50, get a PSA test each year, know that number, and compare it with each subsequent test. It is surprising how many men know their golf handicap and have no clue as to their PSA, a number which could save your life.