About Pints for Prostates

Pints for Prostates is a grassroots campaign that uses the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message. Founded by prostate cancer survivor Rick Lyke in 2008, the campaign raises awareness among men about the need for regular health screenings and PSA testing by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising.

Pints for Prostates has registered as a 501(c)3 charity and 100% of all funds raised by the group go to fighting prostate cancer and assisting men with the disease. Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a 501(c)3 charity that works to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer and their families, is a recipient of Pints for Prostates financial support.

Raising a beer to cancer prevention
A prostate cancer survivor finds a novel way to spread the word.
By Karen Garloch
kgarloch@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Monday, Sep. 21, 2009

When prostate cancer survivor Rick Lyke wanted to reach more men with his message of cancer prevention, he turned to a subject he knew well.

“I started thinking about beer,” said the 48-year-old Charlotte marketing executive, who writes freelance articles for beer and wine magazines.

“Guys and beer kind of go together. And obviously guys and prostate cancer go together. One in six men are going to have the disease.”

The link led Lyke to “Pints for Prostates,” the name of his campaign to make more men aware of the risk of developing prostate cancer and the screening test that can help detect it.

He estimates that his message has reached millions of men in the past year, mostly through free ads in national magazines.

It all started in 2008, when Lyke was diagnosed with prostate cancer. One of his friends, who had been diagnosed earlier, persuaded Lyke to get the blood test that detects PSA (prostate specific antigen) even though men don’t routinely get it until they’re 50.

Lyke had to insist that his doctor order it. But he was glad he did. His levels came back abnormally high, and a biopsy showed that he had cancer.

Lyke went to Dr. William Catalona, a Chicago surgeon who had performed more than 6,000 radical prostatectomies (removal of the prostate gland). His patients have included prominent sports figures Joe Torre, Jim Boeheim and Stan Musial.

Lyke’s cancer was small, and it’s now cured. “My luck was in early detection,” he said. “If you detect it early enough, the survival rate is virtually 100 percent. The problem is that by the time you start to get the symptoms… it’s pretty well advanced.”

Lyke’s first Pints for Prostates event last summer, at a bar near UNC Charlotte, raised about $1,500, all donated to Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network. Other events have been held in bars around the country. In total, he has raised about $50,000.

But his goal was more about raising awareness. His employer, Eric Mower and Associates, created a logo and an advertisement about Pints for Prostates that was published for free in several beer and wine magazines. Later, the ads were picked up by magazines with larger circulations, such as Time and Sports Illustrated.

Recent studies have shown that PSA screening does a great job of discovering prostate cancer but doesn’t translate into many saved lives. Some prostate cancer is so slow growing, it does not cause death, but screening can’t predict how fast a man’s cancer will grow.

Without that knowledge, PSA screening can also lead to needless treatment that diminishes quality of life. Some men choose surgery or radiation treatment, and that can cause impotence and incontinence, at least temporarily. Others opt for “watchful waiting.”

The news is confusing to middle-age men who have been urged to get the test annually to reduce their chances of becoming a casualty of the No. 1 cancer killer of men.

Despite the American Cancer Society guideline that men start getting routine PSA screening at 50, Lyke thinks men ought to start at 40.

“If I had waited till I was 50, I would have been in serious trouble, he said. “The goal for Pints for Prostates is to make men aware. You at least need to know what your PSA is. What you do with that information is up to you. You have to talk to your family about it, and you have to talk to your doctor about it.”