National Prostate Cancer Coalition

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           Men's HOTLINE : 512-472-3237 : men@menhotline.org
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The Men's HOTLINE is proud to have been a part of the formation of the NPCC. Please consider reposting the following press release from AFUD to all available news groups and discussion lists, and let us know if you would like additional information on prostate cancer.

The National Prostate Cancer Coalition has been formed, based on the model of the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

American Foundation for Urologic Disease
300 West Pratt Street, Suite 401
Baltimore, MD 21201-2463

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A newly formed army of prostate cancer patients, advocates and supporting organizations, the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC), was created this weekend at a major meeting in Las Colinas, TX. It is estimated that over six million men currently have some form of prostate cancer in the United States. This year 317,000 cases will be diagnosed and 41,000 men will die from prostate cancer in this country.

The task force meeting was called by the American Foundation for Urological Disease (A.F.U.D.) and the Honorary Chair was Mr. John Huntsman. "We stand in awe of the achievements of the National Breast Cancer Coalition and look forward to accomplishing great things," stated Mr. Thomas A. Bruckman, Executive Director of the A.F.U.D. in his welcoming remarks.

Bob Samuels, newly elected chairman of the NPCC Steering Committee stated,

Until now, there has been no organized attempt to unite prostate cancer efforts. Public awareness of the magnitude and effect of prostate cancer on American families will become a national concern as a result of this taskforce.

All major national prostate cancer groups were represented including American Cancer Society/Man-to-Man, Prostate Cancer Support Network (PCSN), Patients Advocating Advanced Cancer Treatment (PAACT), US TOO, Intl, Inc., CaPCURE, the Matthews Foundation, MENCANACT, the American Prostate Society, and other advocacy organizations such as the Men's Health Network.

In the first public announcement of the formation of the NPCC, spokesperson Ed Kaps, A.F.U.D. trustee and co-founder of the US TOO prostate cancer support group movement, stated,

Prostate cancer forces are uniting to bring public awareness to the magnitude of prostate cancer and to ultimately eradicate it as a national plague to our families. The NPCC is inclusive, bringing together impassioned men and women who have been impacted by prostate cancer, prostate cancer organizations, health care professionals and all others who want to be part of our collective voice. We will not diminish the need for additional research for any disease; we know that discoveries and cures, for each cancer will lead to discoveries and cures for all cancers.

In her keynote address to the taskforce, Jane Reese-Coulburne, Vice President of the National Breast Cancer Coalition persuaded the attendees that the National Prostate Cancer Coalition could be formed. Since the organization of the National Breast Cancer Coalition in 1991, breast cancer advocates have become a major force in American politics. Richard Klausner, M.D., Director of the National Cancer Institute; Don Coffey, Ph.D., President of the Association for the Advancement of Cancer Research; Alan Milbauer Ph.D., Vice-President of External Affairs, ZENECA Pharmaceuticals; and Jean Fourcroy, M.D., Ph.D., president of the American Medical Women's Association also encouraged the formation of the prostate cancer coalition and charged the group to bring the issues of prostate cancer to the public forefront.

Funding for the prostate cancer taskforce meeting was provided by an educational grant from ZENECA Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, Delaware.

Prostate cancer is now the leading cancer threat and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths to American men. Afro-American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer than any population in the world. In 1996, federal allocations for prostate cancer research totaled less than $80 million.

The American Foundation for Urologic Disease (A.F.U.D.) is a Baltimore, Maryland based not-for-profit charitable organization whose mission is the prevention and cure of urologic diseases through the expansion of research, education, and public awareness. The A.F.U.D. Research Scholar Program has provided over $20 million to approximately 300 urologic research investigators since 1976.