Community-based free prostate cancer screening program.

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to demonstrate both the feasibility and importance of a bilingual community-based educational program that offers free prostate cancer screening to Hispanic and black men in a high-risk community.

METHODS

The East Harlem Partnership for Cancer Awareness (EHPCA) brought together an academic medical center, public hospital, and two community health centers to offer monthly free prostate cancer screening programs in neighborhood community health centers. The programs included an educational component in Spanish and English, digital rectal examinations (DRE), and blood testing for prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

RESULTS

Participant evaluations of the program demonstrated that the sessions were informative and helpful as well as successful in increasing knowledge about prostate cancer. Almost 90% of the participants chose to undergo a digital examination and PSA test; 4 of 150 participants were diagnosed as having prostate cancer.

CONCLUSION

Offering free prostate screening is a successful method of reaching men who might otherwise not be tested. We found that men were willing to be tested and follow-up with care, as needed.