New Brunswick, N.J. – In recognition of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and its flagship hospital Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) are providing free prostate cancer screenings to men across the state on September 23, 24 and 25.
One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and it is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men other than skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. That is why the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJUH join forces each year to educate men and their families about this disease through the annual event, which has tested thousands of men over the past 15 years.
The screening has long been supported by local clergy, civic leaders, and their respective institutions whose community presence has encouraged groups of men to regularly attend. “Together we have an opportunity to educate men about the importance of screening and offer them this vital service. When such an important message comes from community leaders that these men know and trust, it truly resonates and has resulted in numerous men returning year after year. We are grateful for this type of support,” noted Mariam Merced, director of the RWJUH Community Health Promotion Program.
At the screening, men will receive a digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, as well as prostate-specific literature, and have the opportunity to speak to a urologic oncologist from the Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at the Cancer Institute. Assistance for Spanish speakers will be available.
“With this simple screening method, we have an opportunity to detect potentially harmful cancers at an earlier and more curable stage,” said Cancer Institute urologic oncologist Thomas L. Jang, MD, MPH, who heads the clinical component of the annual screening event. “All men 40 and older, as well as men with a family history of prostate cancer and those most at risk – such as African American men – should discuss with their physician an appropriate screening schedule and at what age to begin. If a man doesn’t have a family physician or health insurance, this free screening will provide an opportunity to better protect his prostate health,” noted Dr. Jang, who is also an assistant professor of surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Registration is now open for the screenings, which run from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. all three evenings at the Cancer Institute (195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick) and are open to all men 40 and older. Limited free parking will be available. For those taking mass transit, the Cancer Institute is one block south of the New Brunswick train station. While the screenings are free, an appointment is necessary and can be made by calling 1-888-MD-RWJUH (1-888-637-9584). Additional information can be found at: http://www.cinj.org/prostatescreening.
About Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (www.cinj.org) is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. As part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey is dedicated to improving the detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer, and to serving as an education resource for cancer prevention. Physician-scientists at the Cancer Institute engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice, quite literally bringing research to life. To make a tax-deductible gift to support the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, call 732-235-8614 or visit www.cinj.org/giving. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheCINJ.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides the highest quality cancer care and rapid dissemination of important discoveries into the community. Flagship Hospital: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. System Partner: Meridian Health (Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center, Southern Ocean Medical Center, and Bayshore Community Hospital). Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals: Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Medical Center, and Cooper University Hospital. Affiliate Hospitals: CentraState Healthcare System, JFK Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (CINJ Hamilton), Shore Medical Center, Somerset Medical Center, The University Hospital/Rutgers New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. *Academic Affiliate
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 600-bed academic medical center which is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the principal hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. RWJUH has been ranked among the best hospitals in America, according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2012 ranking of “America’s Best Hospitals, six times and has been selected by the publication as a high performing hospital in several specialties. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital has also ranked among the nation’s Best Children’s Hospitals by U.S.News & World Report for two consecutive years. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers and the hospital’s Comprehensive Stroke Center is certified by the Joint Commission to provide complex stroke care. The Leapfrog Group rated RWJUH as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine, and has given the hospital an “A” grade for safety and quality. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified RWJUH as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. RWJUH is also a four-time recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence. Visit us online at www.rwjuh.edu.