UH Cancer Center’s Quest for a Cure Educates about Prostate Cancer

September 12, 2023

The University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center is dedicated to raising awareness in September by focusing our final Quest for a Cure series on prostate cancer during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Quest for a Cure: Prostate Cancer will be held on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the UH Cancer Center’s Sullivan Conference Center and is open to the public. Speakers from various medical institutions in Hawai‘i will address the impact of prostate cancer in Hawai‘i and advances in the diagnosis and treatment, including genetics and imaging.

“Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer among Hawai‘i's men, with approximately 900 individuals newly diagnosed each year and 125 prostate cancer deaths,” said Brenda Hernandez, PhD, MPH, Hawai‘i Tumor Registry Principal Investigator and UH Cancer Center Researcher. “Primary prevention of prostate cancer is challenging with few known risk factors.” Hernandez will be one of several panelists at the event and will speak to prostate cancer disparities in Hawai‘i.

The 2023 Quest for a Cure is a three-part series of monthly talks by researchers from the UH Cancer Center, clinician partners from our oncology community, and cancer survivors and/or caregivers. The goal is to empower those going through their cancer journeys with information, resources, and support.

Charles Kim, MD, urologist at Hawai‘i Pacific Health and event moderator, will be among other physicians on the panel. “We wanted this event to be inclusive of not only the different disciplines which involve urology but the different institutions in Hawai‘i treating prostate cancer,” said Kim. He will be joined by Thomas Sanford, MD, urologist at Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Marc Coel, MD, nuclear medicine at The Queen’s Medical Center, and Ryon Nakasone, MD, oncologist at Hawai‘i Oncology, Inc.

“Because of its prevalence, it is important that our community is aware of prostate cancer. This event will explain what prostate cancer is and how it’s diagnosed, assessed and treated. We have assembled a well-rounded panel of experts who will discuss recent advances in prostate cancer,” Kim added.

Also on the panel is prostate cancer survivor Gary Kim. He also serves as a facilitator of the Us TOO/ZERO Prostate Cancer support group, which aims to help men and their families make informed decisions about prostate cancer and provide opportunities for peer-to-peer support.

This event will be available in-person and online. Those interested must register by Friday, September 15, 2023. For more information on how to register, please visit uhcancercenter.org/quest.