All men over 40 are encouraged to have a free prostate cancer screening, available Monday, Sept. 17 through Friday, Sept. 21 at Eastern Maine Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor.

The one-minute tests will be available by appointment at EMMC on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and at St. Joseph on Tuesday and Thursday. Appointments may be made by calling 990-5107 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

According to figures by the American Cancer Society, one in 11 men in the United States will be diagnosed as having prostate cancer, and approximately 30,000 will die of the disease.

The best insurance against the spread of the disease is early detection, and a cure is possible if the cancer is discovered early. Symptoms do not become obvious until later stages, so a medical examination is recommended.