Webb Is Set to Announce USCM Prostate Cancer Initiative at Cancer Awareness Luncheon in Seattle

By Richard C. Johnson
April 17, 2000

Conference President Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb will announce a new Conference of Mayors prostate cancer initiative at the Annual Meeting in Seattle this June. Mayor Webb has decided to expand the plenary luncheon and forum on breast cancer, which has been held at the start of the Annual Meeting in each of the last three years, to include prostate cancer awareness. On Friday, June 9, from noon to 2 p.m., a Cancer Awareness Luncheon will deal with both breast and prostate cancer, and at this session Mayor Webb will announce the formation of the Mayors’ Coalition for Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education.

Mayors have long been concerned about prostate cancer and the need to address the disease – with good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer, other than skin cancer, among men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer-related death among men. The American Cancer Society estimates that 180,400 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and that approximately 31,900 men will die of the disease in 2000. At all ages, African American men are diagnosed at later stages and die of the disease at higher rates than white men. And the incidence of prostate cancer among African American men is the highest known rate in the world.

The Mayors’ Coalition for Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education will focus upon informed decision-making and will be conducted along with the Mayors’ Campaign Against Breast Cancer, supported by a five-year Cooperative Agreement with CDC and now in its third year. The Mayors who are members of the Campaign have been asked about their involvement in prostate cancer activities and been given an advance opportunity to join the new coalition. All Mayors may join the Coalition now or at the Annual Meeting in June.

The Conference is preparing to promote September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in much the same way as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is observed each October. All Mayors will receive promotional packets this summer in time to permit planning for these fall events. Additional information can be obtained from Richard C. Johnson, Director of USCM Health Programs, at 202-861-6753.

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