The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) announced today that actor, comedian and humanitarian Chris Tucker (Rush Hour) will join its National Minority Health Month initiative as a spokesperson to raise awareness about the significant disparities that exist between men of African descent and other ethnicities as well as raise awareness about risk factors associated with the disease. The PCF, along with Tucker, is encouraging men to "Know the Numbers" by visitingpcf.org/knowthenumbers to view and download a series of important stats and vital information every man of African descent should know.
Each year, three million men in the U.S. battle prostate cancer - one in nine will be diagnosed. African-American men are 74% more likely to develop prostate cancer in their early 50s and 2.4 times more likely to die of the disease. There are a number of factors contributing to this issue including access to quality medical care, issues of physician mistrust and genetic predisposition. Data also shows that black men are less likely to be advised about cancer screenings and less likely to undergo surgery or chemotherapy.
"It was shocking for me to learn that African-American men have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group in the U.S. for most cancers and that prostate cancer is the number one diagnosed cancer among veterans," said Chris Tucker. "It's imperative that the black community understand the risks and do as much as possible to increase their chances of surviving or even better, preventing the disease by making certain lifestyle changes."
This is one of the most important problems PCF is addressing in global oncology," said Jonathan Simons, MD, PCF's President and CEO. "PCF is devoted to tackling these alarming disparities. We are doubling down on cutting-edge research and forging new partnerships to solve the most lethal forms of prostate cancer and to identify causes of why African-American men are disproportionally impacted by aggressive disease."
The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world's leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating prostate cancer research. Founded in 1993, PCF has raised more than $745 million and provided funding to more than 2,000 research programs at nearly 200 cancer centers and universities. The PCF global research enterprise now extends to 19 countries. PCF advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more efficient investment of governmental research funds for transformational cancer research. Its efforts have helped produce a 20-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer. For more information, visit www.pcf.org.
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