HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER AND THE DAILY NEWS PROVIDE FREE PROSTATE CANCER SCREENINGS
Program Reaches Out to Men in Northern New Jersey, Harlem, and Manhattan

Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in conjunction with The Daily News, provided nearly 2,700 men over age 40 with free prostate cancer testing. The medical center administered the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) tests throughout Bergen, Hudson, and Essex counties as well as at The Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building in Harlem and Citicorp in Manhattan.

“Early detection is the best cure and I cannot stress enough the importance of this lifesaving screening tool,” said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., chairman of The Department of Urology and chief of The Urologic Oncology Division of The Cancer Center at HUMC.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer. The Kidney and Urology Foundation estimates that almost 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year, and the American Cancer Society says that more than 30,000 men will die of this disease each year.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death in men, exceeded only by lung cancer. African-American men are six times more likely to have prostate cancer than white men and are seven more times likely to die from the disease. However, unlike many cancers, prostate cancer progresses slowly. If caught early, there are several effective treatment options available.

“This campaign is especially important to those groups of men who are at higher risk for getting the disease. It is so gratifying to know that Hackensack University Medical Center is able to actively participate in early detection strategies that can ultimately save lives,” said Dr. Sawczuk.

The sites that drew the largest amount of men included Hackensack University Medical Center, the Citicorp Building in Manhattan, The Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building in Harlem, and the Sunrise Assisted Living facilities with locations throughout northern New Jersey.

“Hackensack University Medical Center never underestimates the importance of community outreach. These screenings are of critical importance to men in our service area and we are committed to providing them as part of our mission,” said John P. Ferguson, president and chief executive officer of HUMC.

Since HUMC has partnered with the Daily News four years ago more than 12,000 men have received PSA blood tests at no cost at HUMC screening sites. In fact, nearly 10 percent of those men were found to have elevated PSA levels. The higher one’s PSA level is the more likely the presence of prostate cancer.