OPINION: Let’s not forget September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

With the dawn of October upon us, millions of people whose lives have been touched by breast cancer will be going pink to increase public understanding. From cosmetic to grocery stores, people will be see pink products meant to raise not just awareness, but funds for fighting breast cancer during what’s been designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Although some men develop breast cancer, it’s largely regarded as a feminine problem. It’s also commonly understood that women tend far more open about their struggles and triumphs than men.

That may be why it’s so easy for many of us to forget that September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. It’s not only a subject that makes men uneasy, it’s also unlikely anyone will find products such as lip balms, spatulas or yogurt container lids designed to raise awareness about and funds for fighting it.

Here’s some basic information about prostate cancer: it forms in tissues of the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system found below the bladder and in front of the rectum, according to the National Cancer Institute. It usually occurs in men age 60 and older.

ZERO-The Project to End Prostate Cancer said it’s estimated about 2,910 men across South Carolina will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 and about 14 percent of them will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

And, from 1997 to 2001, South Carolina had the highest prostate cancer mortality rate in the nation for black men, who, according to the American Cancer Society, are more likely to get prostate cancer and die from it than men of other races.

A year ago, the board that oversees the state’s Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Program approved $3.6 million in S.C. Education Lottery funds for a new Center of Economic Excellence in Prostate Cancer Disparities Research. The center is a three-way collaboration among the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina and S.C. State University.

“With this new center, we will actively work to close the gap, so that all men in South Carolina are being screened and treated for prostate cancer,” MUSC Provost Dr. John Raymond said. He also said he thought the center would have a positive economic impact on South Carolina as a whole, firstly because the state could see a significant reduction in lost work productivity and medical expenditures as a result of improved levels of prostate cancer early detection and treatment.

Women and men can argue over which is more uncomfortable: undergoing a mammogram or undergoing a prostate exam. They would surely agree, however, it’s worth it.

Men in our community like Florence County Councilman Waymon Mumford and fellow federal court security officer, James Streater, are prostate cancer survivors who rightly feel no shame in sharing their experiences and encouraging men — especially other black men — to get screened. But make no mistake: like any other form of cancer, prostate cancer doesn’t discriminate. To learn more about prostate cancer symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, visit http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/prostate online.

Cancer, in any form, is a health concern people should be aware of at all times, not just certain months of the year. Awareness is the first step toward prevention and early detection, which are the keys to survival.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).