The
mission of APCaP is to bring public and private
business leaders, legislators, health providers and administrators,
researchers, federal, state and local health officials and
prostate cancer advocates into a coordinated
cohesive forum to enhance and promote prostate cancer awareness,
education, research and primary and secondary prevention programs.
The goal of this diversified stakeholder group is to implement and
evaluate ambitious plans that are designed to eliminate prostate
cancer as a health threat in the United States by 2015.
Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed
cancer among men in the United States and men's second leading cause
of death to cancer. While the disease will claim nearly 31,000 deaths
this year, there is growing evidence that educational efforts leading
to early detection and diagnosis are resulting in lower mortality.
Moreover, the emergence of other early intervention methods, such
as primary prevention of prostate cancer, is encouraging scientists
and health professionals as well.
There is increasing reason to believe that men need
not die from this disease. While uncertainty continues to surround
prostate cancer treatment and research leading to absolute cures
lies ahead, there is no question that proactive awareness and prevention
programs, properly conceived and undertaken, can save many lives
now and in the immediate future.
Several organizations addressing cancer generally
and prostate cancer specifically currently perform such needed work
as counseling newly diagnosed men about treatment choices and helping
resolve the psychosocial problems of men with advanced prostate
cancer. Alliance for Prostate Cancer Prevention (APCaP) has been
created to support efforts to prevent the serious consequences of
the disease itself for men who have not been diagnosed and are unaware
of the deadly effects of prostate cancer.
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