The Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation (APCF) was formed in 2000 by six community leaders and prostate cancer survivors, and a Medical Advisory Committee of urologists, oncologistsand family physicians from around the state.

Mission

The mission of the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation is to promote awareness, encourage timely detection and support improved treatment of prostate cancer in Arkansas.  The Foundation believes that access to information and treatment should be available to all men

in Arkansas.

The Problem and the Solution

Arkansas has significantly higher prostate cancer incidence rates (the number of men who will get the disease) and mortality rates (the number of men who will die from the disease) than the national average. Reasons for these higher rates may include ineffective cancer education, barriers to screening and treatment, and personal or financial obstacles.

To overcome some of these barriers and reduce mortality from prostate cancer in Arkansas, the Foundation works to educate Arkansans about the disease. The APCF wants men and their loved ones to:

• Recognize that a man is more likely to get prostate cancer than a woman is to get breast cancer
• Understand the screening process
• Determine whether to be screened or not
• Know how to schedule a free screening in their community
• Know how to obtain information regarding the disease
• Be able to describe treatment options and play an active role in determining their own method of treatment
• Refer others to the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation for information and education