New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF, WE-Sag Harbor) today urged men to get screened for prostate cancer during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among American men. It is estimated that 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with this form of cancer in their lifetime, and over 1,700 men each year will succumb to prostate cancer in New York State alone. Moreover, prostate cancer disproportionately affects men within communities of color — African American men in particular are at risk for this form of cancer. Besides race, other factors that influence one’s chances of developing this form of cancer are age, diet and hereditary predispositions.

Early screenings to detect prostate cancer can drastically improve survival rates. If diagnosed early, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is almost 100 percent. At ten years post diagnosis, 98 percent of men diagnosed early remain alive.