{"data":{"id":"us-ar/ark.-code-ann.-23-79-1301","jurisdiction":"us-ar","citation":"Ark. Code Ann. § 23-79-1301","heading":"Findings","body":"The General Assembly finds that: (1) Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in men; (2) In Arkansas, more men die from prostate cancer than women die of breast cancer, the tenth-highest death rate in the nation; (3) Even though the death rate for prostate cancer has decreased in Arkansas, there has been a fifty-five percent (55%) increase in premature death before sixty-five (65) years of age; (4) Arkansas's African-American men are fifty-five percent (55%) more likely to develop prostate cancer and one hundred seventy-six percent (176%) more likely to die from prostate cancer than Arkansas's Caucasian men; (5) The Arkansas Central Cancer Registry data indicates that there has been a steady increase in the number of new cases of prostate cancer and a steady decrease in deaths from prostate cancer in Arkansas since 1999, indicating that there have been improvements in discovering prostate cancer before symptoms appear; (6) Studies have found that men between fifty (50) years of age and sixty (60) years of age who were diagnosed with prostate cancer were sixty percent (60%) more likely to suffer premature death than those men who were diagnosed at an earlier age; (7) Identifying the characteristics of high-risk men and fostering early diagnosis and appropriate treatment could: (A) Prevent premature deaths; (B) Decrease: (i) Adverse effects and death from prostate cancer, particularly in the underserved populations; (ii) Health disparities; and (iii) Prostate cancer treatment costs through diagnosis at an earlier stage; and (C) Improve and extend quality of life; and (8) The cost of treatment per man for: (A) Early-stage prostate cancer is fifty-eight thousand dollars ($58,000); and (B) Late-stage prostate cancer is more than ninety-three thousand dollars ($93,000). Acts 2009, No. 75, § 1.\n\nThe General Assembly finds that:\n\n(1) Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in men;\n\n(2) In Arkansas, more men die from prostate cancer than women die of breast cancer, the tenth-highest death rate in the nation;\n\n(3) Even though the death rate for prostate cancer has decreased in Arkansas, there has been a fifty-five percent (55%) increase in premature death before sixty-five (65) years of age;\n\n(4) Arkansas's African-American men are fifty-five percent (55%) more likely to develop prostate cancer and one hundred seventy-six percent (176%) more likely to die from prostate cancer than Arkansas's Caucasian men;\n\n(5) The Arkansas Central Cancer Registry data indicates that there has been a steady increase in the number of new cases of prostate cancer and a steady decrease in deaths from prostate cancer in Arkansas since 1999, indicating that there have been improvements in discovering prostate cancer before symptoms appear;\n\n(6) Studies have found that men between fifty (50) years of age and sixty (60) years of age who were diagnosed with prostate cancer were sixty percent (60%) more likely to suffer premature death than those men who were diagnosed at an earlier age;\n\n(7) Identifying the characteristics of high-risk men and fostering early diagnosis and appropriate treatment could: (A) Prevent premature deaths; (B) Decrease: (i) Adverse effects and death from prostate cancer, particularly in the underserved populations; (ii) Health disparities; and (iii) Prostate cancer treatment costs through diagnosis at an earlier stage; and (C) Improve and extend quality of life; and\n\n(A) Prevent premature deaths;\n\n(B) Decrease: (i) Adverse effects and death from prostate cancer, particularly in the underserved populations; (ii) Health disparities; and (iii) Prostate cancer treatment costs through diagnosis at an earlier stage; and\nealth disparities; and (iii) Prostate cancer treatment costs through diagnosis at an earlier stage; and (C) Improve and extend quality of life; and\n\n(A) Prevent premature deaths;\n\n(B) Decrease: (i) Adverse effects and death from prostate cancer, particularly in the underserved populations; (ii) Health disparities; and (iii) Prostate cancer treatment costs through diagnosis at an earlier stage; and\n\n(i) Adverse effects and death from prostate cancer, particularly in the underserved populations;\n\n(ii) Health disparities; and\n\n(iii) Prostate cancer treatment costs through diagnosis at an earlier stage; and\n\n(C) Improve and extend quality of life; and\n\n(8) The cost of treatment per man for: (A) Early-stage prostate cancer is fifty-eight thousand dollars ($58,000); and (B) Late-stage prostate cancer is more than ninety-three thousand dollars ($93,000).\n\n(A) Early-stage prostate cancer is fifty-eight thousand dollars ($58,000); and\n\n(B) Late-stage prostate cancer is more than ninety-three thousand dollars ($93,000).","path":["AR Code","Title 23","Chapter 79","Subchapter 13"],"source_url":"https://oss-data-us.vaquill.ai/v2026.08/us_ar_statutes.parquet","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:41Z","sha256":"0518ffdb64c9915d6984b2be82aefcb12eb06616088d8d1ea5330235b8d42bf8","source_id":"us-ar","stale":false,"prev":"us-ar/ark.-code-ann.-23-79-1209","next":"us-ar/ark.-code-ann.-23-79-1302"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}