National Basketball Retired Players Association and Cancer Treatment Centers of America® Announce Partnership to Increase Awareness of Prostate Cancer

LAS VEGAS, July 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 220,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the U.S. each year, the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) and Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) are partnering to raise awareness of early detection screening, diagnosis and treatment options among alumni players, fans, and men across the country. Through this partnership, NBRPA members will have access to any of CTCA's five hospitals (Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Tulsa, and Phoenix), should they require these services.

Other than non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S. Nearly one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that 28,000 men will succumb to the disease in 2015.

Former NBA player and 2015 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame electee, Spencer Haywood, is among those statistics. Haywood – whose storied NBA career spanned stints with the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics (Oklahoma City Thunder), New Orleans Jazz (Utah Jazz) and Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards) – shared details about his personal journey battling prostate cancer during today's press conference at the NBRPA's annual meeting.

"The first step to making meaningful decisions about cancer care is education, and today we are honored to partner with the NBRPA to provide information about prostate cancer to basketball alumni and fans across the U.S.," said Gerard van Grinsven, President and CEO of CTCA. "At CTCA, we are dedicated to educating our patients about their cancer and providing them with exceptional care through our patient-centered approach to the delivery of integrative therapies, guided increasingly by the exciting evolution of advanced genomic testing."

In May of this year, CTCA introduced new Centers for Advanced Individual Medicine at each of its hospitals, a resource that makes advanced genomic testing available to clinically-qualified patients. This resource enables physicians to evaluate other possible treatment options when standard cancer treatment therapies fail.

"Our collaboration provides a remarkable and necessary opportunity to address a major health concern among our athletes and larger fan base across the nation," said Thurl Bailey, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the NBRPA.  "For our members currently in need of care, we are thrilled to have such valuable support in our effort to educate men about the importance of prostate cancer screening."

"We are proud to be working with the NBRPA to raise prostate cancer awareness and we hope that more men will seek routine prostate cancer screenings as a result," said Sean Cavanaugh, MD, Chief of Radiation Oncology at CTCA Southeastern Regional Medical Center. "Routine screening can provide clinicians the ability to detect prostate cancer early enough that can lead to better outcomes."

The partnership officially launches today with a press conference during the NBRPA annual Legends World Sports Conference in Las Vegas. At the event, van Grinsven, Bailey and Cavanaugh were joined by NBRPA President & CEO Arnie Fielkow and NBRPA member Spencer Haywood.  

About the NBRPA
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, Harlem Globetrotters and WNBA. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a two-pronged mission to assist former NBA, ABA, Harlem Globetrotters and WNBA players in their transition from the playing court into life after the game, while also positively impacting communities and youth through basketball. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Arnie D. Fielkow is the President & CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Otis Birdsong, Vice Chairman Thurl Bailey, Treasurer Marvin Roberts, Secretary Steve Hayes, Past Chairman Robert A. (Bob) Elliott, Past Chairman George Tinsley, Rick Barry, Dwight Davis, Spencer Haywood, Nancy Lieberman, Johnny Newman and Eldridge Recasner.

About Cancer Treatment Centers of America^®
Cancer Treatment Centers of America Global (CTCA), with headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., is a national network of five hospitals that specialize in the treatment of patients fighting complex or advanced-stage cancer. CTCA offers an integrative approach to cancer treatment that combines surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy with nutritional counseling, naturopathic medicine, mind-body therapy, and spiritual support to enhance quality of life and minimize side effects during treatment. The company serves patients from around the world at hospitals located in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa. Known for delivering the Mother Standard^® of care and Patient Empowerment Medicine^®, CTCA provides patients with comprehensive information about their treatment options so they can participate in their treatment decisions. For more information about CTCA, go to www.cancercenter.com, facebook.com/CancerCenter and twitter.com/CancerCenter.

Contacts:
Rebecca Timms (UEG)
646-492-0844
[email protected]

Michael Myers (CTCA)
561-923-3179
[email protected]

Paul Corliss (NBRPA)
917-621-5744
[email protected]

SOURCE Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Related Links

http://www.cancercenter.com