Ryan Marotta

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of death among men. But each September, the Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC) helps patients catch the disease early during the organization’s annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW).

Established in an effort to encourage patients to be proactive with their prostate health, PCAW provides men across the United States with access to a number of free or low-cost health events and screenings. The PCEC recommends that men ages 40 and older use this opportunity to receive a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and a digital rectal exam (DRE), both of which are considered among the safest and most reliable methods of detecting prostate cancer in its early stages.

Because there are a number of factors that can potentially contribute to a patient’s risk of prostate cancer, many screening locations also offer testing for cholesterol and testosterone. Additionally, PCAW screening sites can provide patients with informational materials and other resources to educate them on their prostate health and to help them improve their overall condition.

“What many men do not realize is that prostate cancer, if caught early, can most often be very successfully treated,” says PCEC founder and chairman E. David Crawford, MD, in a press release. “Men should not avoid the topic. Knowledge is power, and by avoiding medical tests, they are only doing a disservice to themselves and their loved ones.”

The PCEC sponsored its 26th Annual PCAW in September 2015. Following in the PCEC’s lead, several other health organizations have also organized prostate health events and screenings throughout the month of September. As of 1999, the American Foundation for Urological Disease (now the Urology Care Foundation) has designated the whole month of September as National Prostate Health Month.

“During the past 27 years, PCEC helped to provide early detection to more than 5 million men for prostate cancer and men’s health conditions in the United States and internationally,” states PCEC president Wendy Poage in a press release. “Our commitment to educating in awareness on prostate cancer and other important men’s health issues continues to expand each year.”

The 27th Annual PCAW will take place on Sept. 18 to 24, 2016. A list of screening sites can be found on the PCEC’s 

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Leading the Way for Prostate Cancer Detection

For many advocates of those affected by pancreatic diseases, quality health care does not focus solely on the management of these conditions, but is also concerned with the treatment of each patient as a whole.

Guided by this philosophy, the National Pancreas Foundation (NPF) has set out to help patients with pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer choose an optimal place to receive care by designating qualified healthcare facilities as NPF “Centers of Excellence.” All such centers receive this distinction for their multidisciplinary and “whole patient” approach to pancreatic disease treatment, as well as for their efforts to advance pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer research and promote a better understanding of these conditions.

To be awarded the NPF Center designation, facilities must submit to an extensive auditing process and fulfill the requirements set forth by a task force of field experts and patient advocates. The criteria for an NPF Pancreatitis Center includes:

On-site access to a core multidisciplinary team consisting of a program director, at least two gastroenterologists, a pathologist with expertise in gastrointestinal disease, an interventional radiologist with gastroenterology expertise and at least two surgeons with experience in distal pancreatectomy.

On-site access to specialists such as dietitians and nutritionists, medical psychiatrists and social workers.

On-site initiatives such as pain management services, substance abuse prevention and cessation programs, islet autotransplantation programs and clinical trials. 

The NPF also listed separate, yet similar criteria for pancreatic cancer centers, which include requirements such as two medical oncologists with expertise in pancreatic malignancies, a palliative care program and clinical trials for pancreatic cancer research.

“The newly designated NPF Centers will be of great benefit to the whole community,” says NPF Center Task Force member Christopher E. Forsmark, in a press release. “Having the NPF Center designation will help distinguish institutions whose focus is on patient-centered care, either for the treatment of their disease or to get an expert second opinion.”

The NPF also expressed hope that, in addition to contributing to the development of best practices, the centers will raise awareness for some of the foundation’s other endeavors and resources, such as the National Patient Registry and the Animated Pancreas Patient.

The foundation began accepting applications in April 2015, and since then, 37 facilities across 21 states and the District of Colombia have been recognized as NPF Pancreatitis Centers. A full list can be found on the foundation’s 

 are currently open. Interested facilities can apply online by filling out the appropriate audit form.

Thanks to the NPF, patients with pancreatic diseases can now find healthcare organizations that prove excellent in treating their conditions.

National Pancreas Foundation Centers: Providing Care for the Whole Patient

For nearly a decade, the Urology Care Foundation has promoted prostate health awareness with the help of a powerful teammate: the National Football League (NFL).

The relationship between the organizations began in 2007, when the Urology Care Foundation conducted prostate cancer screenings for retired NFL players. This partnership expanded in 2009 with the launch of the Know Your Stats campaign, a joint effort by the Urology Care Foundation and the NFL to educate patients on the risks of prostate cancer.

The Urology Care Foundation and the NFL encourage patients to visit the campaign’s website (Knowyourstats.org), where they can find resources such as a test to predict prostate cancer risk, lists of potential treatment options, and a comprehensive “Playbook” on prostate health. The Know Your Stats website also provides its visitors with a number of crucial statistics and facts on prostate cancer, including:

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the Unites States

1 in 5 African American men develop prostate cancer

1 in 3 men with a family history of prostate cancer develop the disease

Approximately 220,800 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year

More than 27,000 men die from prostate cancer each year

The goal of the Know Your Stats campaign, which recently completed its seventh season, is to empower men to take control of their prostate health by giving them with the information they need to determine their risk of prostate cancer and advising those at risk to speak with their providers.

To help promote the initiative, the Urology Care Foundation and the NFL have drafted spokespeople such as Pro Football Hall of Famers Mike Haynes and Harry Carson. For Haynes, involvement in the campaign was personal: it was during a Urology Care Foundation screening that he discovered that he had developed prostate cancer. Haynes was able to contain his disease as a result of this early detection, inspiring him to educate the public on the importance of cancer screenings.

“Before I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I had no idea I was at risk for this deadly disease,” Haynes previously stated. “Now, as a cancer survivor, I feel the need to educate others about prostate cancer - the more people who know my story, as well as their risk for prostate cancer, the more we can raise awareness and save men's lives.”

“Winning the battle against prostate cancer involves a team approach,” added Carson. “That is why Mike and I are calling on all men to know their risk, talk to their doctor and stay in the game for life.”

Ryan Marotta

Leading the Way for Prostate Cancer Detection

National Pancreas Foundation Centers: Providing Care for the Whole Patient

Urology Care Foundation Tackles Prostate Cancer with NFL Team-Up

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