Prostate Cancer Awareness Week Reaches Thousands

Sept. 9, 2008 - PRLog -- DENVER – This year, a national nonprofit is leading efforts to alert men about the dangers of prostate cancer.  For one week – Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW) – the Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC) is coordinating free or low-cost screenings for thousands of men across the United States.

“It’s disheartening to think how many lives could be saved if only more men would get screened for prostate cancer,” comments Dr. E. David Crawford, Head of the Urologic Oncology Department at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and Founder/Chairman of the PCEC. “This year, prostate cancer is expected to claim the lives of more than 28,700 American men. That is just too many for a disease that if often treatable when caught it its earliest stages.”

This year, PCAW will be held Sept. 14-20 and will potentially screen more than 125,000 men.  With more than 500 screening sites across the United States, every man at risk has the opportunity to get checked.  This includes all men over 45 and high risk individuals over 40 - including those with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men (who are twice as likely to both develop and die from the disease).

Prostate cancer screenings during PCAW take about 10 minutes and include a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) done by a trained professional.  Men can also choose to have their cholesterol and testosterone levels checked, as many factors play into overall health awareness and a man’s risk for prostate cancer.

PCAW is one of the oldest and most successful screening programs in history.  In addition to having free or low-cost screenings at hundreds of sites, it also provides valuable information on research issues key to eliminating this threat.  Given the number of factors playing into a man’s risk for prostate cancer, PCEC has dedicated each day of PCAW to one particular topic relating to the disease. The days include:

Monday, Sept. 15 – General Prostate Cancer Awareness Day
Tuesday, Sept. 16 – Advanced Prostate Cancer Awareness & Treatment Day
Wednesday, Sept. 17 – Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Awareness Day
Thursday, Sept. 18 – Women, Families & Caregivers Day
Friday, Sept. 19 – Know Your Numbers Day
Saturday, Sept. 20 – New Horizons Day

To find a PCAW screening site near you and for more information on prostate cancer, please visit www.prostateconditions.org or call toll free 866-4PROST8.


About the Prostate Cancer Education Council
A national organization committed to men’s health, the Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC) is dedicated to saving lives through awareness and the education of men, the women in their lives, as well as the medical community about prostate cancer prevalence, the importance of early detection, and available treatment options, as well as other men’s health issues. The Council – comprised of a consortium of leading physicians, health educators, scientists and prostate cancer advocates – aims to conduct nation wide screenings for men and perform research that will aid in the detection and treatment of prostate cancer.  More information is available at www.prostateconditions.org.  

About Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
Since 1989, PCEC has coordinated national Prostate Cancer Awareness Week in September.  During this time period, the PCEC organizes hundreds of free or low-cost screening sites for more than 125,000 men across the country.  To date, the program has resulted in more than three million screenings.  For more information about how PCEC supports community awareness and education, please visit the Website.

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A national organization committed to men’s health, the Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC) is dedicated to saving lives through awareness and the education of men, the women in their lives, and the medical community about prostate health.