The State Department of Health has recognized Prostate Cancer Awareness Month by encouraging men and individuals assigned male at birth to get informed and take action and detect prostate cancer as early as possible.
Among men in New York State, prostate cancer is the most common cancer to get excluding skin cancer. Each year, almost 15,500 New Yorkers are diagnosed with prostate cancer with an average of 1700 that die of the disease. It’s estimated that one in seven men assigned male at birth will develop prostate cancer during his life. Non-Hispanic Black men have the highest rates of prostate cancer incidence and mortality of any racial/ethnic group. In New York State, Black men are one and a half times more likely to get prostate cancer and almost twice as likely to die of the disease compared to White men.
Screening Is available to detect prostate cancer early when it may be easiest to treat. Those assigned male at birth between the ages of 55-69 are urged to talk with their healthcare provider about their risk for prostate cancer and whether screening is right for them. Risks for prostate cancer include family history, race or ethnicity, and other medical conditions.
