MARION — September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and Deaconess Illinois urologists are sounding the alarm on a growing public health concern: prostate cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the state. The American Cancer Society projected more than 11,800 new cases and 1,160 deaths in Illinois from prostate cancer.

The urgency to act is especially critical in Southern Illinois, where cancer prevalence and mortality rates are disproportionately high. Recent data from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the American Cancer Society reveal stark disparities in prostate cancer outcomes. Black men in Illinois face more than double the mortality rate compared to other racial groups.

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