Blue Campaign with the Prostate Cancer Foundation To Raise Awareness Among San Franciscans

SAN FRANCISCO/September 15, 2011--San Francisco’s iconic City Hall will turn blue on Friday, Sept. 16, 2011 to raise awareness for prostate cancer. The disease is a major American health problem that has long been misunderstood, and too little spoken of, among men and their families. San Francisco City Hall joins a list of other California landmarks turning blue including Los Angeles City Hall, Los Angeles International Airport, Capitol Records and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Mayor Edwin M. Lee of San Francisco said of his city’s support of prostate cancer awareness, “Here in San Francisco, we make sure residents have access to quality healthcare, and that includes preventive screening. We are raising awareness for early detection and treatment today by lighting City Hall blue, and making sure that patients receive quality care for overall health and wellness.”

The September campaign represents a partnership with PCF and Blue September, an effort designed to educate American men about prostate cancer and encourage early detection and treatment. The Prostate Cancer Foundation is the beneficiary organization of the Blue September California campaign. All dollars raised for PCF will fund advanced prostate cancer research.

Varian Medical Systems, which is headquartered in the Bay Area, is pleased that San Francisco City Hall is going blue.

“As a company that makes cancer fighting equipment, Varian Medical Systems is proud to be an international supporter of Blue September,” said Spencer Sias, vice president, corporate communications and investor relations at Varian. “With 1 in 6 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is important to spread the message that with early detection and treatment, prostate cancer offers a 5-year survival rate of nearly 97 percent.  By partnering with Blue September, we hope to raise awareness and increase education of prostate cancer.”

This year, more than 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer are projected to be diagnosed in the U.S. and more than 33,000 American men will die as a result. Worldwide, more than 16 million men and their families are challenged by prostate cancer. Blue September is raising awareness worldwide for prostate cancer during September by encouraging men over 40 to talk to their doctor about prostate cancer screenings.

“Prostate cancer is to men what breast cancer is to women, yet open dialogue of the disease lags behind other cancers,” says Dan Zenka, senior vice president of communication at the Los Angeles-based Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF). “We are grateful to the City of San Francisco for getting involved and it is our hope that San Franciscans will see more blue every September moving forward.” Zenka is also a patient with advanced prostate cancer.

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About the Prostate Cancer Foundation

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world’s leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating research. Founded in 1993, PCF has raised more than $475 million and provided funding to over 1,600 research projects at nearly 200 institutions in 15 countries around the world. PCF advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more efficient investment of governmental research funds supporting transformational cancer research. Our efforts have helped produce a 20-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer. More information about PCF can be found at pcf.org.

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