Boston, U.S.A. — U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry led unanimous passage of the Senate Resolution 493 to recognize prostate cancer as an epidemic striking African American men disproportionately, with 250% higher mortality and 60% higher incidence. This bipartisan legislation urges federal agencies to support research for the advancement of diagnostic tools, including novel biomarkers and imaging technologies. Improved diagnostic tools will save lives and assure individualized, the least invasive and the most cost-effective patient care in millions of American men.

Senator Kerry said, “Prostate cancer is an epidemic – it kills every 16 minutes. This disease killed my dad, but I was lucky to beat it ten years ago, I introduced this resolution in the Senate to bring attention to this silent killer, how it disproportionately affects African Americans, and the need for additional federal investment in prostate cancer research, education, and awareness.

I’ve been through the battle against prostate cancer and I understand the strain a diagnosis places on the patient and their loved ones. We need to stay focused on research and arm Americans with the tools to prevent, detect, cure and treat this disease, and I’m grateful to my colleagues and our advocates for pushing this resolution through.”

Dr. Faina Shtern, President of AdMeTech Foundation who worked with Senator Kerry and his staff for several years on prostate cancer research funding issues commented, “We applaud Senator Kerry’s leadership in national recognition of prostate cancer as a public health priority and a health care crisis in African American men.

This legislation offers hope to millions of men who are left in the state of shock and confusion by the recent recommendation of the US Preventive Services Task Force against PSA screening, the only diagnostic tool currently available for early detection. Ending PSA screening is not the answer to the prostate cancer crisis. The Kerry resolution in support of research to improve diagnostic tools is.”

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in the United States, but federal research support is lagging behind, and men do not have reliable diagnostic tools. The impact is sobering: While prostate cancer is curable when detected early, it remains the second most lethal cancer in men, killing over 30,000 men each year.

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The Great Prostate Cancer Challenge, the premier men’s health event series in America, managed by ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer, will host events in 32 cities in 2012 to raise funds for prostate cancer research, advocacy and awareness.

“In 2012, more than 240,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 28,000 will die from the disease,” said Skip Lockwood, CEO of ZERO — The Project to End Prostate Cancer. “As the success of our event series continues to grow, we’re better equipped to reduce these numbers by funding research, advocacy and awareness efforts.”

In 2012, the event series is expanding to 32 cities including new events in Fort Lauderdale, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Shreveport and Lancaster, PA. In 2011 the GPCC series raised nearly $2 million by hosting more than 12,000 athletes in 27 cities across the nation including Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit and a celebrity golf tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC.

The goal of the GPCC is to end prostate cancer by building a network of local race partners across the country with a massive amount of participants in the same way that organizations like The Susan G. Komen Foundation have brought attention to breast cancer and women’s health issues.

In 2007, Chesapeake Urology Associates, one of the largest urology practice groups in the nation and located in the greater Baltimore area, created an event solely focused on prostate cancer. Other urology groups across the country soon joined the successful GPCC series to create awareness and raise funds for prostate cancer research through highly successful 5K run events.

In 2009, ZERO took on the GPCC as its signature awareness and fundraising program in its efforts to save lives through research and testing. Funds from the event series go to national and local efforts to save lives from prostate cancer. National funds help ZERO increase prostate cancer research funding from the federal government and provide free testing for high-risk men and local funds provide education and free testing in event communities.

Premier Partner Abbott and many other national and local sponsors are dedicated to ending prostate cancer and support the GPCC. To learn more about the GPCC, visit www.greatprostatecancerchallenge.com

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As the War on Cancer enters its fifth decade and the number of people being diagnosed with cancer continues to rise, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) called for more aggressive integration of advanced imaging technology and biomedical research to improve prevention, earlier detection and treatment of cancer.

“We have developed remarkable new tools for imaging and biomarker identification that can bring about enormous changes at this moment in time and drive rapid improvements in the entire continuum of care in cancer,” said Laurie Fenton-Ambrose, President and CEO of Lung Cancer Alliance.

“But imaging and biomedical research must be linked together,” she said.

In 1975, when Congress passed the National Cancer Act, dubbed the War on Cancer legislation, 400 new cases of cancer were being diagnosed each year for every 100,000 people in the population. According to the latest figures, in 2008 that number rose to 463 new cases for every 100,000 people.

Over 1.6 million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

While the rate and number of people being diagnosed with cancer overall continues to climb, some progress has been made in reducing the percentage of people who die from cancer, primarily because of screening and better treatments. However the decline is uneven.

The drop in lung cancer death rates among men reflects the drop in the number of men smoking and being diagnosed with lung cancer, but not a reduction in the lethality of lung cancer, which continues to kill three times as many men as prostate cancer.

For women, incidence or mortality rates are still twice as high as they were in 1975 and nearly twice as many women will die of lung cancer than breast cancer.

In addition the percentage of women with lung cancer who have never smoked is twice as high as men.

“The overall numbers are staggering,” said Fenton-Ambrose.

Of the 577,000 people who will die of some form of cancer this year, one in four women and three in ten men will die of lung cancer – more than the combined total of deaths from breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers.

“However, this past year has also brought us the most significant advance we have ever seen for lung cancer – the validation of CT screening as a life-saving tool that can dramatically reduce lung cancer mortality among those at high risk,” she said.

According to several national and international studies, that reduction would be at least 20% and possibly as high as 50-60%, which translates to 35,000 to 95,000 lives saved a year.

Screening can also stimulate research into precancerous conditions, genetic mutations and biomarkers that will improve risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment for all types of lung cancer, including lung cancers not associated with smoking.

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The Congressional Men’s Health Caucus and its Prostate Cancer Task Force held its first public briefing today to hear expert testimony regarding the United States Preventive Service Task Force’s recent draft recommendation against the use of early screening tests for prostate cancer.

The Men’s Health Caucus and Prostate Task Force are headed up by Representatives Joe Baca, Jon Runyan, and Heath Shuler, who welcomed the featured speakers and spoke about their commitment to improving screening and treatment options for men with prostate cancer.

The briefing was co-sponsored by the Men’s Health Network, a health care non-profit working to reach men and their families with health prevention tools, screening programs, and educational materials. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer for American men, one in six of whom will struggle with it during their lifetimes.

This year, more than 240,000 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Mortality has declined nearly 40% since early detection through screening was introduced, but 33,000 men still die of prostate cancer annually. Now the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued draft recommendations which would dismantle early screening by telling health insurance policies to discontinue use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.

At today’s briefing members of Congress joined an expert panel to discuss what was missing from the USPSTF’s draft recommendations. Speakers included Dr. Chiledum Ahaghotu, Chief of Urology at Howard University Hospital and Dr. Tom Berger, Executive Director of the Veterans Health Council.

Representative John Barrow and Representative Tom Price, M.D., were featured speakers as well. Representatives Rodney Frelinghuysen and Gene Green rose to lend their support.

Dr. Chiledum Ahaghotu provided detailed background on the current state of prostate cancer, including treatment and screening options. He concluded by providing his views on the USPSTF’s recommendations, calling it a broad sweeping policy that does not work for individual men.

“We cannot stand by and let the USPSTF’s recommendation to drop early screening happen,” warned Dr. Tom Berger, Executive Director of the Veterans Health Council. “Doing so would be a major setback for Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange. Veterans exposed to Agent Orange are twice as likely to suffer from prostate cancer as veterans who were not and are four times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate.”

Representative Barrow spoke from his experience as a prostate cancer survivor, saying, “The PSA test presents a great advantage for stopping prostate cancer and nipping it in the bud really, really early. The USPSTF recommendation discourages the screening on the theory that ignorance on the PSA is not only bliss, but actual good public policy.

To abandon early screening of prostate cancer is basically to ask men to play Russian roulette with their prostate cancer odds. You know the gun has six chambers; you want to know if there’s a bullet in it.”

Representative Tom Price, a retired physician, explained, “Because of the longevity of our lives, with the technology that’s now available for screening and for treatment, we have turned prostate cancer from one of those diseases that kill into one of those that can be cured. Ensuring that early screening is available to men is of vital importance to their health.

Medical decisions need to be between patients, their families, and their doctors.” ”I’d like to thank the representatives who spoke today for the leadership they have shown in the fight against prostate cancer,” said Men’s Health Network Vice President Scott Williams. ”Today’s briefing helps refocuses the conversation on what we can do right now to save lives.

Especially for men at high risk – like African Americans and Veterans exposed to Agent Orange – this is an issue that cannot wait.” ”This year alone, prostate cancer will claim the lives of more than 33,000 men in the United States,” said Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC). “We believe this statistic is unacceptable and can be changed with better health education, detection, and preventative care.

We simply cannot wait to see this devastating disease destroy even more lives before taking action—the time is now to act.” ”One out of every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in his lifetime,” said Rep. Joe Baca.  “This is a serious disease that we must combat through better awareness and greater use of preventative measures.

I thank Reps. Shuler and Runyan for their bipartisan leadership on this important issue.  Working together, I am confident the Prostate Cancer Task Force will be a force for positive change in the health of men across the nation.”

“Prostate health is a major concern for men of all ages,” said Congressman Runyan. “Unfortunately, there are too many men who are ignoring their prostate’s health, and this must change. During my career in the NFL, I was very involved with charities to help with prostate cancer research, and I am glad I have been able to continue this work in Congress.

As a member of the Congressional Men’s Health Caucus, I am pleased to lend my support to this important cause.” Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen rose to the podium to lend his support to prostate cancer screening, saying “This is not just about the man; it’s about the family.”

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A recent study’s results produced coffee’s hidden benefit, its capacity to reduce the risk of getting prostate cancer. Coffee’s side effects have always been discussed, but its benefits have never been taken into consideration. Health news describes how “drinking six or more cups of coffee per day can lower a man’s risk of fatal prostate cancer by up to 60%.”

Kathryn Wilson, a research fellow in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health discusses how coffee’s varieties of biological effects are relevant for prostate cancer. She discusses how “its an important source of antioxidants and also has positive effects on glucose metabolism and insulin levels, and its thought that insulin plays a role in the progression of prostate cancer,” according to Health News.

A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute involved 48,000 men. Kathryn Wilson and her colleagues “tracked the relationships between nutritional factors and cancer, heart disease, and other health conditions”. Between the years 1986 and 2006, every four years the participants reported how much coffee they drank per day as part of diet questionnaires. Health News discusses how in the follow-up period around “5,035 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer.” The cancer was considered lethal in 642 cases, the men either died of the disease or the tumors spread a good amount.

The consumption of coffee was known to lower the risk of all prostate cancers only slightly, and the change in the risk was pronounced for lethal cancer. Men who drank at least six cups of coffee a day had a 60% lower risk, whereas the ones who drank one to three cups a day had a 30% lower risk.

Health News describes how coffee consumption has been linked to a lower risk of “type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and liver cancer, among other conditions.”

Women were known to lower their risk of developing an aggressive type of breast cancer by drinking at least five cups of coffee a day.

Regardless of the kind of coffee men drank, decaf or caffeinated, a decreased risk of cancer was still seen, which briefs on a property in coffee other than caffeine that might be helping this.

Shiuan Chen, PhD, director of tumor cell biology at the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, California mentions how the evidence isn’t justifying enough for doctors to recommend the increase in coffee intake. He says how, “I don’t think it’s any reason for changing habits in the immediate moment.”

Proven by other questionnaires, coffee consumption does not prove that it directly prevents aggressive prostate cancer. Health news proves that it “shows only an association, although it is a relatively strong one, since the researchers were able to take into account detailed information on the men’s overall diets and other factors.” Family history of prostate cancer, smoking, obesity and physical activity can be taken into account.

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