Community Announcement
Boston, MA — As part of Prostate Cancer Awareness month, Brigham and Women’s/Mass General Health Care Center is partnering with their Foxborough neighbors, the New England Patriots and Patriot Place to offer free prostate cancer blood screenings on September 27 and 28 at Foxborough Place.
Prostate cancer is the second most common and deadly cancer among American men. However, the five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with the disease has increased from 67 percent to 99 percent over the last 20 years, underscoring the importance of screening.
The screening, known as a PSA, or prostate specific antigen, is an important tool in helping to diagnose, monitor and guide treatment. The test involves a needle stick and drawing a small amount of blood. PSAs are typically performed annually, starting at the age of 50 for most men and at the age of 45 for those in high-risk groups, such as African–American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer.
New England Patriots Hall-of-Famer Troy Brown kicked off the initiative on September 14, by having his PSA drawn. Screenings will take place on Thursday, September 27 and Friday, September 28, from noon to 6:00 p.m. at 20 Patriot Place, Foxborough.
Prior registration is required; please call 1-800-BWH-9999.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is a 793-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare. BWH has more than 3.5 million annual patient visits, is the largest birthing center in New England and employs nearly 15,000 people. The Brigham’s medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in patient care, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, and its dedication to research, innovation, community engagement and educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving nearly 1,000 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by nearly $625 million in funding. BWH continually pushes the boundaries of medicine, including building on its legacy in organ transplantation by performing the first face transplants in the U.S. in 2011. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses’ and Physicians’ Health Studies, OurGenes and the Women’s Health Initiative. For more information and resources, please visit BWH’s online newsroom.