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Date: October 30, 2009
Contact:
Michele Fisher
Media Relations Specialist
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Ph:732-235-9872
fisherm2@umdnj.edu
More than 1,700 Men Checked over Four Years at CINJ and RWJUH Prostate Cancer Screenings
New Brunswick, N.J.–Nearly 400 men turned out for the recent prostate cancer screening event held by The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). This newest group brings the total number of men checked over a four-year period to more than 1,700. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Each year the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at CINJ and the RWJUH Community Health Promotion Program join forces to offer the screenings, which are now in their eleventh consecutive year. With the continued high turnout, organizers of the event are confident that more lives will be saved from a disease, which can be successfully treated if caught early. “Some 660 prostate cancer deaths are expected in New Jersey by year’s end. By offering this quick and simple screening, we hope that we can help reduce that number,” said Isaac Kim, MD, PhD, head of CINJ’s Section of Urologic Oncology and associate professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Mariam Merced, director of RWJUH’s Community Health Promotion Program, notes the continued high participation rate can be attributed in part to those who have previously attended, “We have men who have been to the event, then encourage a friend or two to go the next year, and put flyers up the next. With a strong commitment from the community, we have a tremendous opportunity to educate men and their families about the importance of early detection and screening. ”
“Outreach and education are key in increasing the public’s knowledge about the importance of early detection and prevention of prostate cancer,” stated Betty Gallo, director of public outreach and government affairs for the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at CINJ. “We hope our efforts will save the lives of our fathers, grandfathers, brothers, sons and uncles as we work to encourage more men to get screened for the disease,” Gallo continued.
Participants received a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectum exam (DRE) during the program and also received educational material on early detection and prevention.
About The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer. CINJ’s physician-scientists engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice, quite literally bringing research to life. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. To support CINJ, please call the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Foundation at 1-888-333-CINJ.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides a mechanism to rapidly disseminate important discoveries into the community. Flagship Hospital: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals: Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Hospital, and Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Affiliate Hospitals: Bayshore Community Hospital, CentraState Healthcare System, Cooper University Hospital*, JFK Medical Center, Mountainside Hospital, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton (CINJ at Hamilton), Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Somerset Medical Center, Southern Ocean County Hospital, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center at Princeton. *Academic Affiliate
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