WE ALL AGREE:
House Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Murray, Mayor Walsh, Survivor and Marathon Icon Bill Rodgers, Medical Experts, All Join Forces to Boost Prostate Cancer Awareness
BOSTON, MA, June 19, 2014—In a full-court press effort tohighlight the critical importance of early detection of prostate cancer, AdMeTech Foundation today hosted the state’s 6th Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day, bringing together House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett, Marathon legend and prostate cancer survivor Bill Rodgers, and leading medical experts. The State House event focused on making Massachusetts the national leader in awareness and education of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common major malignancy in the US and in Massachusetts, with 60 percent higher incidence and 250 percent higher mortality in men with African American heritage. An American man dies every 18 minutes, in spite of 100 percent survival rate at five years after early detection. In sharp contrast, only 28 percent of men remain alive within five years after late diagnosis. Awareness and education are critical, as PSA screening alone—the only clinical tool widely available for early detection today—has led to over-diagnosis and over-treatment of slow-growing disease, which is not likely to cause problems in a man’s lifetime.
Prostate Cancer Awareness Day is an integral part of AdMeTech’s goal to create a Massachusetts model of national and international leadership in prostate cancer awareness and education. In support of this goal, former and current Republicans, Democrats, and Independents candidates for Governor last week participated in the “We All Agree” video.
“Prostate cancer is a public health crisis, largely because of preventable loss of countless lives combined with unnecessary procedures, which reduce the quality of life in millions of men and add billions of dollars to health care costs, ” said Dr. Faina Shtern, President of AdMeTech Foundation and a daughter of a prostate cancer survivor. “I thank all the key stakeholders who attended the 6th Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day. Together, we will ensure that patient care will be based on the most recent advances in scientific knowledge in order to improve early detection and treatment of the aggressive disease and to reduce false alarms.”
AdMeTech created the Manogram® Project, which is dedicated to creating accurate diagnostics tools for prostate cancer, akin to life-saving mammograms.
“Proper use of PSA detection and treatment saves lives,” said Dr. Philip Kantoff, a member of the event’s Organizing Committee and Professor of Medicine and Director of the Dana Farber’s Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, Harvard Medical School. “The value of PSA detection has been diluted by the problem of over-treatment. The value of PSA needs to be recognized along with the need to not over-treat men who have indolent disease.”
Dr. Adam Kibel, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Urology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, spoke at the event. “Before the advent of PSA screening, patients routinely presented with advanced incurable disease,” he said. “PSA screening has dramatically improved our ability to detect the cancer earlier, when it is still treatable.”
In addition to House Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Murray, and Mayor Walsh, the speaking program also included State Senators Stephen Brewer (D-Barre) and Kenneth Donnelly (D-Arlington) and Representative Stephen Kulik (D-Worthington)—all prostate cancer survivors; and Senator Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester)—a spouse of a survivor.
“Prostate cancer continues to be one of the most common and lethal cancers affecting men, and it’s critical that we continue to come together as a firm reminder that this is a serious public health crisis,” said Senate President Therese Murray. “Early detection and treatment remain our best defenses against this silent killer, and through our continued support of AdMeTech, their partner organizations as well as new research and medical breakthroughs, we are helping to save thousands of lives across the state.”
“Today’s event is a pivotal step in increasing awareness about prostate cancer and I thank the AdMeTech Foundation for its world-class leadership and advocacy,” said House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo. “Let’s enhance our current efforts and lend our voices to improving early detection, which is critical in saving lives.”
“I strongly support efforts to improve screening and early detection,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “Prostate cancer is one of the leading killers of men, and we can do better. Boston is home to some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world, and if we work together, we can save thousands of lives and ensure that men are getting the highest quality, most effective care available.”
About AdMeTech Foundation: AdMeTech Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Boston, MA and dedicated to ending the prostate cancer crisis. AdMeTech created The Manogram® Project, which is providing international leadership for ground-breaking programs in research, education and awareness in order to advance early detection and treatment. For more information, visit www.admetech.org.
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