Contact: Jill Holder

Free oral cancer screening will take place on Friday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 132 Whitney Hendrickson Building at UK Markey Cancer Center.

Prostate cancer screenings will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. April 28 in the Whitney-Hendrickson Building. Registration is required.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 5, 2004) -- In an effort to provide the best in cancer prevention, University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center will offer free prostate cancer and oral cancer screenings in the month of April.

Prostate cancer screenings will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. April 28 in the Whitney-Hendrickson Building. Registration is required. The free prostate cancer screenings are made possible, in part, through the generous support of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, and most cases are diagnosed in men over the age of 50. To qualify for screening, men must be age 50 or older and must never have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Because of increased risk for the disease, men with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men age 40 or older also are eligible for the free screenings. Men who participated in last September’s free prostate screening at UK Markey Cancer Center are not eligible. To register or for more information, call UK Health Connection at (859) 257-1000 or (866) 340-4488.

The free oral cancer screening will take place on Friday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 132 Whitney Hendrickson Building at UK Markey Cancer Center. Adults interested in participating should register the day of screening. No appointment is necessary. Oral cavity cancer is greatest in men over 40 years of age. The screening takes less than two minutes and will be performed by faculty/staff members of the UK College of Dentistry and the UK Department of General Surgery. Participants also will receive a free oral screening kit for use at home. UK is one of 40 nationwide sites selected to participate in the seventh annual Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Campaign sponsored by the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation. For more information, call Terri Mollineaux, cancer screening coordinator, UK Markey Cancer Center, at (859) 323-7132.