Senate Urges Action On Prostate Cancer

Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a two-time survivor of prostate cancer, urges all men to become more aware of the disease and encouraged them to follow through with regular checkups and testing. Crapo and his fellow Senators unanimously approved S. 277, a resolution designating September 2009 as "National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month."

The resolution notes that one in six men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, noting that prostate cancer is the second most-common cause of cancer-related deaths among American men.

"Checkups and testing for prostate cancer, especially beginning at age 50, can save your life because this cancer is treatable if found early, something I know firsthand," Crapo said. "We want to use every avenue, including Congressional resolutions, to make men and women more aware of prostate cancer."

The resolution also calls for increased research funding and improved access to treatment involving prostate cancer. It noted that estimates are that 192,280 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 and that 27,360 of those men will not survive the cancer.