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Temptations¿ Former Lead Singer Promotes Prostate Cancer Awareness SAN FRANCISCO,Calif. (July 25, 2000) – Damon Harris, former lead singer of the legendary Motown singing group, The Temptations, said Tuesday that it is crucial for African-American men at risk of prostate cancer to obtain annual testing with quality tests like Beckman Coulter’s Hybritech® PSA and Hybritech free PSA assays. Harris also advocates a national Medicare reimbursement policy for the free PSA test. At the age of 47, Harris was diagnosed in 1998 with inoperable prostate cancer that had metastasized to his lymph system. He spoke today during a press conference at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) annual meeting in San Francisco. The press conference was sponsored by Beckman Coulter. The Hybritech free PSA test is the only assay of its kind approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an aid in distinguishing prostate cancer from benign prostatic conditions. The test is used for men aged 50 years and older with total PSA (prostate-specific antigen) between 4 and 10 ng/mL and a digital rectum examination (DRE) that is not suspicious for cancer. "After I was diagnosed, I came to realize that African-American men are the most affected by prostate cancer, but are probably the least apprised of their risks and what steps to take to help themselves," Harris said. "I’ve set out to increase awareness of the disease by aligning myself with companies like Beckman Coulter and have established a foundation to promote prostate cancer awareness." One important emphasis of the Damon Harris Cancer Foundation is prevention. Harris hopes to use his celebrity status to get more men to take simple life-saving measures such as getting annual prostate cancer screenings that include a DRE and the inexpensive blood test for PSA as well as, if appropriate, a follow-up test for free PSA. Harris also strongly supports the American Urological Association’s (AUA) recommendation that high-risk men and those with a family history of prostate cancer should routinely undergo PSA tests beginning at age 40. Black men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world. In fact, the prostate cancer rate for black American men is approximately 33 percent higher than it is for white males, according to Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., professor at Howard University College of Medicine and former president of the American Cancer Society. In addition, black men tend to get prostate cancer at a younger age and, when the cancer is diagnosed, it is typically more advanced and more aggressive. Black males are also more likely to die from prostate cancer than are white men. A study published in the March 2000 issue of Urology showed that the Hybritech free PSA assay works equally as well in black men as it does in white males, helping to distinguish prostate cancer from benign prostatic conditions and reduce unnecessary biopsies. The study also said the free PSA test may be useful for predicting the severity of prostate cancer in men with clinically localized prostate cancer. Prostatic biopsy is required for diagnosis of cancer. The study ("Percentage of Free PSA in Black Vs. White Men for Detection and Staging of Prostate Cancer: A Prospective Multicenter Clinical Trial") reported that white males aged 50 years and older who have moderately elevated levels of total PSA (4 to 10 ng/mL) have a 25 percent risk of prostate cancer. The risk for black men ranges from 30 to 50 percent compared with a 4 percent risk for the general population of men over 50. Most of the men with these moderately elevated levels of total PSA (in the so-called "diagnostic gray zone") are found not to have cancer when biopsied. Prior to the development of the Hybritech free PSA test, these men were routinely subjected to repeat biopsies, which can be painful and cost $1,000 or more each. The Hybritech free PSA test can help identify these men, eliminating unnecessary biopsies. Harris’s father died of prostate cancer at the age of 62 when Harris was just 25 years old. Other members of the singer’s extended family had also succumbed to various types of cancer, but no one talked about any preventative steps he could take. "When my father died, no one talked about the disease, much less what the prostate cancer statistics were for black men," Harris said. By the time he was diagnosed in 1998, Harris’s PSA test was a whopping 478.6, a level unheard of at that time even by his physician. Harris was told he had a maximum of two years to live. At that point, Harris’s only treatment option was hormone therapy. Though he suffered weight gain and a heart attack that doctors associated with the hormones he was taking, Harris’s PSA levels have significantly dropped. A recent PSA test result was 0.2. "My doctor told me my chances of getting hit by lightning were higher than my chances of dying from prostate cancer," Harris said. Harris will now undertake intermittent hormone treatments and receive routine PSA tests every few months to track his progress. His focus, he said, is to remain positive and to organize grass-roots prostate cancer awareness organizations and functions through his foundation and companies like Beckman Coulter. Harris’s successful singing career began after he spent much of his youth singing in local groups in and around his native Baltimore. Then, at age 21, he was tapped to replace singer Eddie Kendricks in The Temptations. "Eddie Kendricks was my idol when I was growing up," said Harris. "Other than my mother, who always encouraged me to sing, Kendricks was my greatest inspiration as a singer. It was unbelievable to me to be a member of one of the greatest singing groups of all time." Harris was with The Temptations from 1971 through 1975. During that time, the group toured throughout the world and won three Grammy Awards, nine gold records and numerous American Music Awards. Harris was best known for his vocals on the Grammy award-winning songs "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "Masterpiece," as well as the striking similarity between his voice and Kendricks'. "Having a celebrity like Damon Harris – who was part of one of the most famous and well-loved music groups of all time – share his personal experience with prostate cancer is an enormous help in raising awareness about this disease," said Barbara Payne, editor of www.prostateaction.org, the Web site of Prostate Action, Inc., a non-profit prostate cancer awareness and education organization. "The first day we published a story about Damon on our site, there were more than 1,000 hits before sundown. People contacted us from all over the world about his story. "Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in American men, according to the American Cancer Society, which estimates that some 184,400 men will be diagnosed with the disease this year. Approximately 31,900 are expected to die from it this year. "Getting the message out to men, especially young black men, is my purpose and my life’s work now," said Harris. "My goal is to raise awareness and money for those who can’t afford prostate cancer treatment. Hopefully, we’ll make a difference." For more information on the Damon Harris Cancer Foundation, access www.damonharris.com/cancerfoundation.htm. For more information on PSA and free PSA assays, call (888) 880-0518.
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