Senator Boxer: September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

August 31, 2007

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Prostate cancer awareness and screening are vital tools in the fight for men’s health, and I encourage you to spread the word.

Today, one in six men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime.  For African American men, one in four will develop prostate cancer.  Prostate cancer can be deadly if it goes undetected and untreated, but if it is caught early there is a nearly 100 percent survival rate.  Detection through screening is vital because early prostate cancer has no symptoms. 

Earlier this year, I introduced the Prostate Research, Imaging, and Men’s Education (PRIME) Act.  My bill calls for expanding prostate cancer research and provides resources to develop advanced imaging technologies for prostate cancer.  It also would create a national campaign to increase awareness about how important it is for men to undergo prostate cancer screening.  I am working to make this legislation law.

The American Cancer Society recommends that all men, beginning at the age of 50, undergo prostate cancer screening.  Men at higher risk, including African Americans and men who have a close relative who have had prostate cancer, should begin screening at 40 or 45.  All men should talk with their doctors about prostate health and prostate screening well before they reach this age.

I encourage you to be a part of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month by either scheduling a screening appointment for yourself or by encouraging the men you know to do so.  While prostate cancer is the second-leading cancer in men (behind skin cancer) it is also one of the most treatable forms of cancer, especially if detected early.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

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