U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Cancer Coalition, today welcomed September as “Prostate Cancer Awareness Month” in Maine and throughout the nation.
“Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the United States,” said Senator Collins. “It is estimated that one in six American men will suffer from prostate cancer at some point in their lives. It is my hope that September increases awareness for this disease, and will help prompt at-risk men to be tested.
“I continue to support a number of measures in Congress to increase research and treatment funding for various types of cancer, including prostate cancer. I believe strongly that increased funding for biomedical research will bring us closer to better cancer treatments and, ultimately, cures.”
In April, Senator Collins sent a letter to Senate appropriators requesting an additional $100 million in funding for the Peer-Reviewed Prostate Cancer research Program. Additionally, Senator Collins requested a 9.5 percent funding increase for the National Cancer Institute for the upcoming fiscal year.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2008. About 28,660 men will die of this disease this year. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men.
This year, over 1,400 Maine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and more than 100 will die from the disease.