Rush's Communities Organizing for Prostate and Testicular Cancer Education and Screening (COOPERATES) will concentrate on increasing awareness among African-American men, who are about one-third more likely to develop prostate cancer than are Caucasian men and have the highest incidence rate for prostate cancer in the world. Illinois has a higher mortality rate for prostate cancer than other states.
About one in five males will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime," said Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director. "Prostate cancer screenings can detect problems early, allowing these men to live longer, healthier and more productive lives."
The grant will allow Rush to focus on African-American men over age 50 in an effort to help prevent prostate cancer. "We will be working with the African American community through neighborhood events targeting the over age 50 group to help recruit patients to the screening," said
Dr. Steven Rothschild, director of the section of Community and Social Medicine at Rush. He indicated the patients would receive free screening at Rush and be referred to doctors in their community or to Rush after diagnosis.
The $25,000 grant is the only grant to come out IDPH's Office of Men's Health.
"Screenings are important tools that can identify cancers while they are still localized and more easily cured," Dr. Lumpkin said. "However, no single test is completely accurate in detecting cancer. It is important for everyone to see a physician on a regular basis for a complete medical exam."
In July of 2001, Rush and several other area hospitals kicked off a clinical trial to determine if selenium and Vitamin E prevent prostate cancer. Rush recently enrolled its 100th man in that trial, called the SELECT trial, and is the fourth most active site among the 356 sites in the country enrolling African Americans.
To participate in Project COOPERATES or to arrange for a speaker to talk to your community group, call 800-966-3644.
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center encompasses the 824-bed Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital (including Rush Children's Hospital), the 110-bed Johnson R. Bowman Health Center and Rush University. Rush University, which today has 1,271 students, is home to Rush Medical College, one of the first medical schools in the Midwest. It also includes one of the nation's top-ranked nursing colleges, the Rush College of Nursing, as well as the College of Health Sciences and the Graduate College, which offer graduate programs in allied health and the basic sciences. Rush is noted for bringing together patient care and research to address major health problems, including arthritis and orthopedic disorders, cancer, heart disease, mental illness neurological disorders and diseases associated with aging. The medical center is also the tertiary hub of the Rush System for Health.