With all of the change occurring in the month of September from back to school to pumpkin-flavored everything, one may overlook the fact that September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. For men over 40, prostate cancer is a topic that cannot be ignored. 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and it is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men behind lung cancer.
To help raise awareness, we’ve chosen some unique initiatives aimed at eradicating prostate cancer.
- Zero is a national nonprofit organization with the mission to end prostate cancer. Their goal is to lead the fight to end prostate cancer by advancing research, encouraging action, and providing education and support to men and their families. While they offer a variety of programs, their premier program is the ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk, the largest men's health event series in America.
- Movember is likely the most well known initiative concerning men’s health. Movember encourages men to grow (and women to support) the moustache during the month of November. Participants begin by signing up, shaving their face clean on November 1st, growing and grooming a full moustache and submitting periodical photos to showcase their mo. This is all while using that moustache as a conversation starter about men’s health and raising funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health.
- #pass4prostate is a rugby-based initiative created by the USA Eagles and Australian Rugby Union. Participants are asked to film themselves catching an object tossed to them from off screen, say why they're raising awareness and why not to "drop the ball", and pass the object rugby-style, off-screen as to symbolically pass the object to nominee(s) of their choice. Similar to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, participants are also encouraged to share on social media with the hashtag #pass4prostate to help raise awareness of the cause.
Nearly 99% of men with the most common types of prostate cancer will survive more than five years after diagnosis thanks to advances in treatment. To learn more about prostate cancer and the value of biospecimens for cancer research, please visit the following websites:
SEER Stat Fact Sheet: Prostate Cancer
Infographic- The Value of Human Biospecimens for Cancer Research in the U.S.