Battling Prostate Cancer and

 the Fight for More Awareness

     Lamont's Story

  By Philip Pannell

  Lamont Mitchell, chair of the Anacostia

 Coordinating Council and founder of the

 Imani Cafe and catering company in

 Anacostia, recently found himself in a fight

 against prostate cancer. Diagnosed in April

 2023 with a highly aggressive prostate

 cancer by a local DC urology group,

 Lamont's journey has been a testament to

 the importance of seeking second opinions

 and the need for increased awareness and

 early detection in the African American

 community. 


classified as stage T3b prostate cancer. 
 


 His diagnosis came after a routine Prostate-

 Specific Antigen (PSA) test revealed a

 concerning level of 27 (normal level is less

 4), leading to further investigation including

 an MRI, biopsy, and a Gleason score of 9,

  The initial recommendation for immediate

 surgery to remove his prostate prompted

 Lamont to seek a second opinion at the

 world-renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering

 Cancer Center in New York City, where his

 results were reevaluated and downgraded to

 Gleason 7. Following a PET PMSA and bone

 density scan to assess the extent of the

 cancer. his treatment plan at Memorial Sloan

 Kettering included six months of androgen