WASHINGTON, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- In the next 24 hours, prostate cancer will claim the lives of more than 80 American men. According to statistical average, this year alone 51 men in Portland will die from prostate cancer, and nearly 411 men in the Portland area will be diagnosed with the disease.
That's why the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC) will be in Portland, Ore. to kick off its Do it for Dad! campaign. Do it for Dad!, a national effort to encourage greater awareness about prostate cancer, will feature free prostate cancer screenings from the Drive Against Prostate Cancer (America's only mobile prostate cancer screening clinic).
WHAT: Free Screenings for Prostate Cancer from the Drive Against Prostate Cancer WHERE and WHEN: Gateway Fred Meyer -- 1111 Northeast 102nd, Portland, Ore. Saturday, July 24 from 8 a.m. to noon and 2-6 p.m.
The Drive Against Prostate Cancer is a mobile unit where local licensed physicians conduct a two-part screening procedure, which includes a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and physical examination. The exams are conducted in a 39-foot Airstream Land Yacht XL, owned by Thor Industries and designed specifically for prostate cancer screenings. No appointments are needed and no insurance is required. The confidential results are mailed to participants within four to six weeks after the screening.
Former New York City Mayor and prostate cancer survivor Rudy Giuliani has joined the NPCC's Do it for Dad! campaign as honorary chairman by spreading the message of early detection through radio and print public service announcements.
"I am doing this to tell every man to put off all those dumb excuses and get tested," Giuliani said. "Early detection saved my life. A 10 minute test is no big deal -- it could save your life too."
Prostate cancer is diagnosed every 2 3/4 minutes, and has roughly the same caseload as breast cancer. More than 230,000 cases are diagnosed each year. Men have a one in six chance of getting prostate cancer and a one in three chance if their father or brother had it. African-American men are at special risk for the disease, having double the incidence rate. It is recommended that African American men over the age of 40 and non-African American men over the age of 50 get tested annually.
The National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC), founded in 1996, is the largest advocacy organization dedicated to ending the devastating impact of prostate cancer on men, families and society. Its goals are to increase awareness by educating the public about the disease, outreach to at-risk communities by conducting free screenings for prostate cancer, and engage citizens and associations in an effort to build an advocacy network to encourage increases in federal funding of prostate cancer research.
For more information regarding times and locations of the Drive Against Prostate Cancer, please contact the National Prostate Cancer Coalition at 1-888-245-9455 or visit http://www.pcacoalition.org/.
For further information, please contact Ilysha Adelstein, iadelstein@porternovelli.com, or Corie Jackson, cjackson@porternovelli.com, both of Porter Novelli, +1-310-444-7000, for National Prostate Cancer Coalition; or Jamie Bearse of National Prostate Cancer Coalition, +1-202-303-3105, jbearse@pcacoalition.org.
National Prostate Cancer CoalitionCONTACT: Ilysha Adelstein, iadelstein@porternovelli.com, or CorieJackson, cjackson@porternovelli.com, both of Porter Novelli, +1-310-444-7000,for National Prostate Cancer Coalition; or Jamie Bearse of National ProstateCancer Coalition, +1-202-303-3105, jbearse@pcacoalition.org
Web site: http://www.pcacoalition.org/
