The Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation (APCF) will host a free prostate cancer education and screening event at Watkin Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, 800 S. Juniper, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 16.
Registration is required. Forty-five men must be pre-registered one week prior to March 16 in order for APCF to hold this event.
The event will provide area men an opportunity to gather information about prostate cancer and services provided by the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation. APCF Executive Director Helen Baldwin said men will want to be educated about their risk and options regarding screening and treatment.
“Men who have a father, brother or son diagnosed with prostate cancer have a higher risk of diagnosis themselves,” Baldwin said. “Also, men can decrease the risk of prostate cancer by practicing healthy lifestyle choices.”
According to the Arkansas Central Cancer Registry, approximately 2,000 men in Arkansas will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and about 300 men will die from the disease. More men in Arkansas will die of prostate cancer then women will die of breast cancer. In many cases, Baldwin said, timely detection is the best opportunity to preserve life and quality of life.
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“Should a screening result in a diagnosis of prostate cancer, the APCF is here to help with understanding the disease and treatment, finding resources, learning what to expect and how to deal with challenges,” Baldwin said. “We have a legion of men and women who have weathered this storm, ready to help those who are newly diagnosed.”
The Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation will also provide free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests — simple blood tests — for men aged 40 and older at the event. Baldwin said she encourages men to establish a baseline PSA score and watch for PSA Velocity, which is the amount and rate a PSA score rises from year-to-year.
APCF staff will be available to answer questions to help men determine whether screening is right for them. For more information about the event and to reserve a spot for the screening, contact James Mazique at 870-489-1614.