Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. announced today that he is battling prostate cancer. The 73-year-old says he hopes that he can bring attention to the disease in the African-American community, specifically about the importance of preventative exams and catching the disease as early as possible.

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the highest most non-skin cancer diagnosis among African-American men and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths. More than 30,000 African American men are diagnosed with the disease each year. African-American men with between one and three close relatives with the disease have anywhere from a 66 percent to 97 percent chance of getting the disease themselves.

And the most dangerous part about prostate cancer is that there are no noticeable symptoms in the earliest stages. That's why Gossett's emphasis on screening and early protection is so important.New screening technology has allowed 88 percent of African-American men to have their prostate cancer detected while in the earliest stages. If that happens, almost 100 percent of black men will still be alive five years later. That rate was only 29 percent for those whose cancer was detected late.

Black men over the age of 40 should be screened for the disease. We also need to educate ourselves about the facts of the disease.

I hope Gossett, who won an Oscar for his tough as nails role as a Navy flight school pilot in "An Officer and a Gentleman" opposite Richard Gere, was screened in the early phases of the disease. His memoir "An Actor and a Gentleman" is due out this year, and he can help spread information about this potentially fatal disease that hits African-American men the hardest.