FRANKFORT, KY (October 18, 2011)– The Kentucky State University Department of Athletics is joining the fight against cancer. While October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the department is focused on increasing awareness of both breast cancer and prostate cancer.

On Saturday, October 22, 2011, KSU will host the Tuskegee Golden Tigers at Alumni Stadium for the University's first Sideline Cancer game. The university's athletics department strongly believes that the community should be aware of the statistics of breast and prostate cancer.

“We are very excited to host our first Sideline Cancer game this year with our football team,” said KSU Director of Athletics, Dr. Denisha L. Hendricks. “In the past we have had the opportunity to host the Dig Pink game with our volleyball team and also the Pink Zone game with our men's and women's basketball teams. We want to provide the community with health-conscious messages through various competitions and activities, and hosting this event enables us to do just that.”
 
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is a little less than 1 in 8 (12%). Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman's death is about 1 in 36 (about 3%).

The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2011 consist of about 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. Also, about 39,520 women will die from breast cancer this year alone.

Prostate cancer is to men what breast cancer is to women, with more than 16 million men and their families fighting the disease globally. While many advances in the field have been made, and men with prostate cancer are living longer, more productive lives, too many men still die and too many families still suffer.
 
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting 1 in 6 men. In 2011, more than 240,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and more than 33,000 men will die from the disease. One new case occurs every 2.2 minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 15.6 minutes. It is estimated that there are more than 2 million American men currently living with prostate cancer.
 
While great progress has been made in research and treatment against this devastating disease, Thorobred Nation understands that much more progress is needed to find a cure. KSU Athletics' battle against cancer begins at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium. For more information about the game or KSU Athletics, visit www.ksuthorobreds.com, or contact the Department of Athletics at 502-597-6011.