cause-related

Prostate Cancer Foundation Enlists Comedian For Serious Message

The Prostate Cancer Foundation has tapped actor and comedian Chris Tucker in an effort to raise awareness and encourage screening.

Tucker is joining the National Minority Health Month initiative as a spokesperson to raise awareness about the significant disparities that exist between men of African descent and other ethnicities as well as raise awareness about risk factors associated with the disease.  

The effort encourages men to “Know the Numbers” by visiting pcf.org/knowthenumbers.

Each year, three million men in the U.S. battle prostate cancer. African-American men are 74% more likely to develop prostate cancer in their early 50s and 2.4 times more likely to die of the disease. There are a number of factors contributing to this issue including access to quality medical care, issues of physician mistrust, and genetic predisposition, according to the foundation. 

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Data also shows that black men are less likely to be advised about cancer screenings and less likely to undergo surgery or chemotherapy.

“It was shocking for me to learn that African-American men have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group in the U.S. for most cancers and that prostate cancer is the number one diagnosed cancer among veterans,” said Chris Tucker in a release  “It’s imperative that the black community understand the risks and do as much as possible to increase their chances of surviving or even better, preventing the disease by making certain lifestyle changes.”

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