Contact: Ellen Bank
843.792.2626
Sept. 5, 2001
CHARLESTON, SC -- Free screening for prostate cancer will be provided by the Hollings Cancer Center of the Medical University of South Carolina October 5 and 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To make an appointment, call the MUSC Health Connection at 843-792-1414 or 1-800-424-MUSC (outside of Charleston area). Appointments are taken on a first-come, first served basis.
Men older than 50 or men older than 40 who are at high risk for developing the disease are encouraged to get checked. The high risk group includes African Americans and men with close relatives with prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer diagnosed in men in the United States, after skin cancer. Each year, according to the American Cancer society, more than 180,000 new cases are diagnosed and almost 40,000 deaths result. The only way to detect prostate cancer in its earliest and most curable stage is with a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and a Digital Rectal Exam. The five-year survival rate is excellent if the cancer is found before it spreads outside the prostate.
#####