ZERO's 2021 Advocacy Goals: Research and Outreach

At ZERO Prostate Cancer, we’re all about taking action. By contacting elected officials and making our voices heard, we can make a huge impact on the lives of every man and every family dealing with this disease. It is estimated that in 2021, over 30,000 men will lose their lives to prostate cancer; by calling on legislators, we can hopefully get that number down to zero.

Right now, ZERO is advocating for two major legislative goals related to prostate cancer: increased funding for prostate cancer research and more outreach to high-risk groups. Below, you’ll find all the resources you need to contact your Congressional representatives, contact your Senators, and get us closer to meeting our advocacy goals.

1. $120 Million towards Prostate Cancer Research

ZERO’s first legislative focus is geared towards the Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP), a federally-funded program directed by the Department of Defense. The PCRP is one of the most effective programs designed to produce numerous treatment options (and, one day, a cure) for prostate cancer. In the last decade, the PCRP has supported six new treatments for advanced prostate cancer and one new diagnostic tool. By supporting this program, we are encouraging the PCRP to generate more treatments for prostate cancer patients to choose from, as well as more research on the efficacy of each treatment. 

ZERO is advocating for $120 million — a $10 million increase from last year — to go towards the PCRP in the fiscal year 2022. To help us meet our goal, contact and urge your Senators to sign the Menendez-Crapo “Dear Colleague” letter addressed to the Senate, and contact them to urge your Representatives to sign the Biship-Dunn “Dear Colleague” letter addressed to the House. It only takes a moment and a click, and it brings us one step closer to seeing real, actionable change in the fight to end prostate cancer.

2. $16.2 Million towards Outreach to High-Risk Men

Our second advocacy goal is to support effective, deliberate outreach to men in high-risk groups for developing prostate cancer, particularly African-American men. When compared to white men, African-American men are 1.8 times more likely to develop prostate cancer, and 2.2 times more likely to die from the disease. These disparities can be attributed to a number of factors, such as socioeconomic status and racial bias in the U.S. healthcare system. For more information on racial disparities in prostate cancer as well as other high-risk groups, click here.

We are asking the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to increase its overall funding for prostate cancer activities, specifically by doubling the funds that are designated towards outreach initiatives. This would bring the total funding to $16.2 million towards the CDC. To make your voice heard towards this contribution, contact and urge your members of Congress to support these outreach efforts.

It’s up to us to demand the legislative change that we want to see. Advocacy week may be over, but at ZERO, we are fighting for better prostate cancer legislation year round. Make sure to spread the word to your friends and loved ones, and share the resources that ZERO provides by using the hashtag #EndProstateCancer. For more information on how to take action, visit our zerocancer.org.