September 9, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - As part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Urology will host a free walk-in prostate cancer screening Friday, Sept. 18 from 1 to 7 p.m. on the fifth floor of The Kirklin Clinic.

Complimentary parking will be in the parking deck at the corner of Sixth Avenue South and 21st Street South. The screening will include a digital rectal exam and a blood test.  Co-organizers include the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information, call 205-996-8765.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer found in American men, trailing only skin cancer. Doctors say when it is detected early, prostate cancer often can be treated successfully, and more than 2 million U.S. men who've been diagnosed with prostate cancer still are alive today, according to the American Cancer Society.

Experts recommend that men ages 50 and older talk with a health-care professional when considering a screen for prostate cancer. For men at high risk, including African-American males and those with a brother, father or uncle with prostate cancer, screening should begin at age 40. 

About the UAB Health System

The UAB Health System includes all of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's patient-care activities, including UAB Hospital, the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital and The Kirklin Clinic. UAB is the state of Alabama's largest employer and an internationally renowned research university and academic health center, and its professional schools and specialty patient-care programs consistently are ranked among the nation's top 50; find more information at www.uab.edu and www.uabmedicine.org.