Meet Us for Men's Health Screening (JUNE 3 & 4)

The Duke Cancer Institute Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity (COEE) program, with site sponsors Lincoln Community Health Center and Duke Primary Care Croasdaile, presents its annual Men's Health Screening event (June 3 and June 4) in collaboration with the Durham County Department of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, Lung Cancer Initiative, Duke Urology, Duke Gastroenterology, Duke Outpatient Phlebotomy, Duke Endocrinology and Metabolism, Duke Dermatology, Duke Health System Laboratories, and DukeWell.

COEE team members, site sponsors, and collaborators will work to provide on-site recommended cancer screenings & health assessments, including:

• Prostate cancer screening (PSA and DRE)
• Colon cancer screening
• Blood pressure checks
• Diabetes risk assessments and evaluations
• Tobacco cessation and vaping counseling
• Skin cancer screenings and
• Nutrition/healthy eating counseling

The annual community event is a collaborative effort to not only provide recommended cancer screenings and other health screenings — free of charge — but to educate and boost awareness around cancer and other health issues. Participants are welcome to take part in as many screenings as desired. No appointment is necessary!

The Men's Health Screening event began in the 1990s as a prostate cancer screening and education initiative of the Duke Genitourinary Cancers clinic team at Duke Urology. The DCI COEE (previously called OHE and OHED) has co-led the annual health fair with Duke and Durham partners, including Duke Urology, Duke Primary Care, and the Durham County Department of Public Health and its Lincoln Community Health Center, since 2012. Additional Duke and community partners joined the effort as the event expanded over the past decade to include colon cancer screening, blood pressure checks, diabetes screening, tobacco cessation counseling, skin cancer screening, and nutrition/healthy eating counseling.

The chief goal of this community outreach program is to provide screening services to men who are at high risk for life-threatening illnesses and diseases. Participants with concerning findings after being screened are connected with a Community-Facing Patient Navigator who will ensure they get access to care and have an established medical home to address their health concerns.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), the leading causes of death in U.S. men of all races are heart disease (24.2% of deaths) and cancer (22.5% 3) followed by unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, suicide, chronic liver disease, and kidney disease.

The top two killers of non-Hispanic White men, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native men, Hispanic men, and non-Hispanic Black men, are heart disease followed by cancer, but for non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander men, it's cancer followed by heart disease.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in U.S. men after lung cancer. Colorectal cancer is not far behind prostate cancer.

“The purpose of screening is to detect when something is not right when there are no signs or symptoms of any abnormalities," says Assistant Director of DCI COEE Angelo Moore, PhD, RN, NE-BC. "When cancer is detected in earlier stages, patients have more treatment options, less harsh treatments, less expensive care, and better outcomes.”

Back by Popular Demand

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021), the annual Men’s Health Screening Event resumed in 2022. A total of 181 men were screened on June 4 and 5 last year at Duke Primary Care Croasdaile and Lincoln Community Health Center, reports COEE Program Evaluator Kearston Ingraham, MPH.

Some Highlights from the 2022 Men's Health Screening  Report:

• Of the 140 men screened for prostate cancer (inc. with PSA), 15 men were found to have abnormal readings.
• Of the 96 men who received a FIT kit (free of charge) for colorectal cancer screening,  there was a 59% return rate, which is higher than the national average CRC return rates (between 25-30%). In addition, seven men were referred for a colonoscopy.
• Out of 71 men who underwent skin cancer screening, six were found to have abnormal results.
• Of the 177 men who were screened for high blood pressure, 55% of them had stage 1, stage 2, or hypertensive crisis level hypertension (measured by categories set by the American Heart Association).

For more information on this year's Men's Health Screening Event and more general information about screening and awareness, please call 919.684.0409. LEARN MORE