Programs and Events: Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

The PCAW Blog

9/20 - Prostate cancer awareness throughout the year

As Prostate Cancer Awareness Week comes to a close, I would like to thank everyone who helped to make this program a success, including the thousands of men who rose to our challenge and joined us at one of the PCAW screening events across the country.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week plays an important role in raising awareness of this serious disease, while bringing affordable screenings to men across the country. But one week is not enough. And PCEC is continually working to educate men - and the women in their lives - about prostate cancer and other men's health issues. Whether you join one of PCEC's prostate cancer challenges (such as the Tackle Prostate Cancer or Stay on Track programs), encourage the men in your lives to get screened, or host an event in your community, get involved and make a difference in prostate cancer.

While the death rate for prostate cancer has declined over past years, there are still too many men dying from this disease. Let's work together to reduce that number to zero.

9/19 - Prostate health

You might be surprised to learn that over 80 percent of men know little to nothing about prostate health. A startling statistic considering there are many different kinds of prostate problems a man can experience. Cancer is just one potential prostate health concern, other important issues to watch for include:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia: a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate that can cause difficulty urinating
• Prostatitis: an inflammation of the prostate gland
• Erectile dysfunction: the inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection
• Urinary incontinence: the inability to control urination

Prostate problems are common in men age 40 and older, but I advise all men to pay attention to the signs and symptoms of these prostate conditions. (Click here to learn more about these conditions and their symptoms.)

Get checked for these conditions as part of your yearly prostate cancer screening. When it comes to your health, early detection is always best. Click here to find a PCAW screening site near you.

9/18 - Get checked!

Although prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer among American men, it is also one of the most treatable. But if you don't know you have the disease, how can you begin to treat it?

I've dedicated my life to reducing the number of lives lost to prostate cancer and strongly believe that the most important thing a man can do to improve his chance of surviving prostate cancer is to find it early. In fact, prostate cancer is nearly 100 percent survivable when caught early - which is best accomplished through regular testing.

Here at the PCEC, we also recommend keeping track of your screening results. Noticing a slight increase in the PSA levels over time may help your doctor recognize the development of prostate cancer.

Since screening is crucial to saving lives, we recommend that all men over the age of 45 years and high risk males over the age of 40 years - including those with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men who are twice as likely to develop the disease - get screened for prostate cancer yearly.

Contact your doctor to schedule a screening, or why not take advantage of one of the hundreds of free or low-cost screening events across the county during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week? Click here to find a site near you.

9/17 - How to help?

You can help make a difference! Look no closer than your own community to educate others about prostate cancer and encouraged men to take action. Get involved by participating or organizing a prostate cancer program in your area.

Consider joining your friends and neighbors at a local 5K run/walk PACE Race, or signing up for one of our national prostate cancer challenges - such as the Tackle Prostate Cancer initiative and the Stay on Track program, or organizing a PCAW screening event in your home town. However you chose to get involved, be assured that your efforts will help make a difference in your local community.

Click here to find more information about getting involved in a local prostate cancer awareness program in your community.

9/16 - What's new in prostate cancer?

Thankfully, a diagnosis of prostate cancer has a much different meaning now than it did 15 years ago, thanks in large part to advancements in diagnosis and treatment. However, PCEC recognizes there is still a need for new and improved diagnostic tools and treatment options. We have come a long way in our fight against prostate cancer, but the battle is not over.

While early detection has greatly improved - thanks to the discovery and increased use of digital rectal exams (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests - scientists continue to explore new screening methods to help make it easier for men to catch prostate cancer while the disease is still manageable. Potential diagnostic tools under investigation include the PCA3 urine test (a genetic marker for prostate cancer) and Doppler ultrasound, which uses sound waves to help improve the accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis.

More good news for prostate cancer, there are great treatment advancements on the horizon. Among these potential advancements are vaccines (cancer prevention) and immunotherapies (harnessing the body's immune response to fight prostate cancer), as well as the identification of genetic markers that could lead to new targeted therapies. With thousands of treatments currently being studied in clinical trials, there is no telling what the future holds for prostate cancer treatment. Learn more about what's new by visiting PCAW.com regularly.

9/15 - Not just another week

We are excited to kick off Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW). For almost 20 years, we at the Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC) have proudly coordinated this program to help generate greater prostate cancer awareness and provide affordable screening options to men across the country.

Our goal is to save lives, and we work hard everyday to keep prostate cancer screening top-of-mind and make it more accessible. This year, more than 28,700 American men are expected to die from prostate cancer. That is just too many for a disease that is often treatable when caught early.

This year PCAW will run from September 14-20, providing free and low-cost screenings to men across the country. With more than 500 screening sites, every many at risk has the opportunity to get checked. This includes all men over 45 and high risk individuals over 40 (including those men with a family history of prostate cancer and African American men). It is never too late to start playing a role in monitoring your prostate health.

At this time, our best defense against prostate cancer is early detection, which starts by getting tested. Don't wait. Click here to find a PCAW screening site near you.