Researchers are working to improve testing to detect prostate cancer and testing to determine whether prostate cancer is likely to lead to death from the disease. There is no question that in some cases early detection of prostate cancer followed by prompt treatment saves lives. It is also clear that some men are treated for cancers that will never cause them harm, and they must live with possible side effects and complications of treatment. Currently available tests are useful but are not 100 percent accurate. It’s complicated.

To learn more about prostate cancer screening and to help you decide whether to get screened for prostate cancer, the Prevent Cancer Foundation continues to support these recommendations for the early detection of prostate cancer and recommends the American Cancer Society (ACS) Testing for Prostate Cancer guide that can be viewed or downloaded here .

Steve Andrews, Paula Zahn and Erin Andrews at the 19th annual Congressional Families Action for Cancer Awareness Awards luncheon.

It is so important to both of us that others stop being shy about talking about prostate cancer awareness. When my father was first diagnosed, we didn’t know much about prostate cancer, and it was through his experience that we have learned so much. Early detection saved his life. Men need to get regular medical check-ups, know their family medical history, maintain a healthy weight and be vigilant about their PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) blood test.

Women need to tell their husbands, fathers, brothers, and boyfriends, all the men in their lives, to go to the doctor and get checked. We want people to be able to talk as freely about prostate cancer as they do about breast cancer.

Many men don’t think that they will ever get prostate cancer. However, 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Recently, I had a friend who went and talked to her father about getting checked for prostate cancer. He made a doctor’s appointment and found out that he had prostate cancer. His daughter’s reminder saved his life.

As my father says, “There’s no waiting around.  Be proactive. Be vigilant about your health.”

Editor’s Note: Erin Andrews is an award-winning sports broadcast journalist for ESPN. Watch an interview with Erin Andrews and her father Steve Andrews at this year’s Congressional Families Action for Cancer Awareness Awards luncheon below.

As a partner to the Greenville SC Chapter of the Us TOO Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, UPCA provides men and their families the tools and other information required to make informed decisions related to prostate cancer screening and treatment options.  The Upstate Prostate Cancer Alliance promotes and implements programs focused on education and awareness leading to early detection of prostate cancer. These programs include making educational presentations at churches, and other community organizations, as well as partnering with local hospitals to provide free screening for men at risk of developing prostate cancer.

In August UPCA and the Greenville Chapter of Us TOO Prostate Cancer and Education and Support Network initiated its annual awareness campaign leading into prostate cancer awareness month, which is observed each September.

During September, UPCA joins numerous prostate cancer organizations, private companies, individuals, and communities throughout the United States in promoting events that raise prostate cancer awareness. During this time we also encourage men to take advantage of the education and free screenings being offered here in Upstate South Carolina.

Our observance campaign officially began on August 12^th, as UPCA, and Us TOO, in partnership with Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, hosted a Breast and Prostate Cancer Awareness Forum. Our goal was to encourage men and women, spouses and partners and significant others to join together to work toward better health and learn about the risk factors, the signs and the symptoms of these two devastating diseases.

At the forum, physicians presented an educational overview of Breast and Prostate cancers. Survivors also shared their experiences. The program concluded with a questions and answers session.  The event was free and a healthy meal was served. Feedback from the community was very positive and we hope to do more programs of this type in the future.

The Turning the Tides project aims to reach over 2,200 underserved community members with colorectal cancer and prostate health awareness education and referrals. The incidence rates for both cancers are higher than state averages, in the two targeted counties. Community Health Workers (CHWs) were trained in February of this year and are reaching out to community members at health fairs and community events, with culturally appropriate and easy-to-understand information. The Community Health Workers are community members themselves and easily approachable. The educational sessions are being held in homes, churches, clinics and community settings.

As of June 30^th,  CHWs provided presentations on colorectal cancer to 126 participants, reached over 500 community members with information on both colorectal and prostate cancers, and facilitated “Men’s Health Awareness Sunday” on Father’s Day raising awareness on prostate cancer in 25 churches reaching 1,095 congregation members.

GSAHEC is a not for profit organization established in 1995. Its mission is to establish community-academic partnerships for the health of the underserved. GSAHEC is a member of the National Area Health Education Center Organization (NAO) which represents over 200 centers in almost all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Developed by Congress in 1971, the AHEC program helps to bring resources of academic medicine to bear in addressing local community health needs and disparities. AHEC programs play a vital role in serving local communities and strengthening the nation’s health care safety net.

The Prevent Cancer Foundation is proud to support the work of GSAHEC to turn the tides on the high rates of colorectal and prostate cancer in two Florida counties by raising awareness, promoting preventative behaviors and connecting individuals to screening services.

Can Drinking Coffee Help Prevent Prostate Cancer?

1.  What led you to the field of prostate cancer research?

Prostate cancer has a huge number of diagnosed cases (around 180,000) per year. On one hand, prostate cancer has some established detection approaches built around the PSA test.  After nearly 30 years of helping to identify prostate cancer, there are increasingly recognized issues for the PSA test, for example, false positive results.  A test with more accurate performance is needed for prostate cancer diagnosis and detection of those with a life-threatening disease. On the other hand, prostate cancer has been one of the most studied cancers in the US; a huge body of knowledge has been obtained in the past 30 years.  This has created the “perfect storm” for translational researchers like myself.  The body of knowledge will help us to find new approaches for the much-needed issue of a better prostate cancer detection.

2.  Tell us about your research to establish A+PSA tests for prostate cancer.

I got my training in cancer immunology at the National Cancer Institute, where I characterized human cancer antigens and worked on how to utilize these antigens in cancer therapy under the mentorship of Drs. Steve Rosenberg and Rongfu Wang.  I learned that spontaneous anti-cancer immune response was a feature in cancer patients, and became intrigued about exploring its use in early detection.  When I started at UCLA in 2002, the literature suggested that due to complexity of patient populations, a large number of cancer antigens are needed to develop a detection test for any given cancer.  There were no such tools available that could measure antibody responses to 8 or 10 antigens.

In 2006, the Prevent Cancer Foundation provided funding to support our exploration of a so-called “epitope array” approach for this purpose.   The proof of principle was established.  The “epitope array” was eventually combined with the classic PSA test under a new platform to become a multiplex antibody plus PSA or “A+PSA” assay for prostate cancer.  The results from studying more than 131 prostate cancer patients and 124 benign cases were published in the Journal of Translational Medicine in May of this year.

3.  Why is it important to fund research in the field of cancer prevention and early detection?

From an economical point of view, therapy is more costly if a cancer is already developed into late stages.  On the other hand, prevention and early detection may help to reduce the number of cases required for treatment as well as find disease when it is easier to treat.  I believe cancer is more manageable with the right prevention and early detection approaches.

Dr. Gang Zeng

Dr. Gang Zeng, an associate professor of urology, at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center recently wrote to thank the Prevent Cancer Foundation for early support of his research that has led to a new test for prostate cancer, “I appreciate the early stage funding received from Prevent Cancer Foundation in 2006, which has been particularly acknowledged in the news release and our recent publication. Although the project is still facing new challenges to move forward to the advanced development and clinical trial stage, your support played a major role to make this work possible. Thank you!”

A study published in the May edition of the peer-reviewed Journal of Translational Medicine found that the new test, that measures levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as well as six specific antibodies found in the blood of men with the disease, was more sensitive and more specific than the conventional PSA test used today.

Dr. Yu Chen

Dr. Yu Chen, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College Park, also wrote to tell the Foundation that he and his team had received a National Institutes of Health Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award for his research into Depth-Resolved Quantitative Multi-Modal Imaging for GI Cancer Detection, “A substantial part of the preliminary data for this grant actually comes from the work supported by the Prevent Cancer Foundation. So we would like to thank you again for supporting us.”

Congratulations to Drs. Zeng and Chen. The Prevent Cancer Foundation continues to value our role in funding cutting edge research and early career researchers, many who have gone on to be leading cancer prevention and early detection “superstars.”

The first 6 years were great, but in February 1992 everything changed. Dean was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Dean’s PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) level was 883; the traditional PSA level of 4.0 is considered a reasonable threshold for further evaluation. The cancer had already spread to his bones. As Dean put it, “I lit up like a Christmas tree.” His life expectancy was 3-6 months.

Dean went to the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, a decision that proved to be a good one. He needed a more aggressive form of treatment, and he was put on a phase I clinical trial. Dean’s PSA level dropped from 883 in February 1992 to 3.5 in March 1993. Dean said “Honey, I don’t even feel like I have cancer.” He felt this way because he had no pain.

Dean’s PSA levels went up and down over the next year and a half. He tried different medications, but in October 1994 he fell and broke his shoulder.  Dean went into the hospital but the cancer had become more aggressive and he died on November 6, 1994, two days before the 1994 elections.

In spring 1995, a voice in my head called to me which said I needed to do something to support prostate cancer research.  I started doing my research and like many and looked up the single word “cancer.”  I started a softball tournament with the American Cancer Society shortly thereafter in Dean’s memory, which was my first step toward becoming an advocate. In 1997, I founded the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

With the help of Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, Dean’s successor, and the New Jersey congressional delegation, we received our first $1million for the Gallo Center in the 2000 federal budget. This money has been used to increase funding to researchers, post docs, programs and creation of the cancer center with its own clinic, labs and administrative offices.

Since 2000 we have received 18.5 million for the Gallo Center, which has helped provide seed money to new and upcoming researchers in prostate cancer.It also has helped to bring clinical trials from the lab to the patient.

This has become my calling and I know I could save a life with every person and family I educate about prostate cancer. I said this to a person who was afraid to go get the digital exam done. “My husband died from this disease and I am here to make sure you don’t.” He got the DRE done and was glad he did.

Become an advocate. Everyone can make a difference. You can let your legislators know that we need continued funding for cancer research. And you can talk to your health care provider about steps that you can take to reduce your cancer risk. Visit the Prevent Cancer Foundation or The Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey  for more information.

Sources: American Cancer Society, National Institutes of Health

I refuse to accept the notion that there is nothing that we men can do to improve our chances of living very long and rich lives. It’s time to take ownership of our own health. We need to be figuring out how to include exercise and healthy foods.   And all tobacco use has to go.  Men need to have a primary care clinician and to go for check-ups.  At least one check-up by age 40, every 3 years from 40 to 50 and an annual check-up after age 50 can go a long way to identifying and modifying health risks.  One of the best ways to stay healthy is to be screened for colon cancer by age 50, or even younger if we have risk factors.  A colonoscopy every 10 years or a stool blood test every year just aren’t that hard to do.

You want to surprise and delight the women in your life?  Call your primary clinician and let them know you want to be screened for cancer.  That’s the manly thing to do.

Editor’s Note: The Prevent Cancer Foundation’s June guest blogger Richard Wender, M.D. is a Professor and Chair of Family Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA and a member of the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board.

The Foundation caught up with Dr. Zhou to get an update on this ground-breaking research. Epidemiological studies suggest that the dietary pattern in the Asian population may play a significant role in the prevention of prostate cancer. On the other hand, the exact active dietary components and dietary patterns that are responsible for the preventive role of the Asian diet remain largely unknown. It is thus imperative to evaluate and identify the active dietary components or patterns, so that the true effective dietary regimens can be applied for prostate cancer prevention. I am committed to devote my professional career to this challenging and exciting research field, hoping that my research can someday make a significant contribution to effective prevention of prostate cancer and other types of cancers.

Q. How important is diet in prevention of prostate cancer, especially in the recent light of controversy surrounding annual screenings?

A. Epidemiological investigations have demonstrated an important role of diet and lifestyle in prostate cancer. Basic research has also suggested the preventive activities of certain dietary components in the development and progression of prostate cancer. These findings provide strong evidence that certain dietary modifications or supplementations may effectively prevent prostate cancer. Considering that some prostate cancers are slow-growing
and may not need aggressive treatment, effective dietary regimens may be especially significant in controlling and/ or delaying the development and progression of prostate cancer.

Q. What led you to the field of prostate cancer prevention?

A. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed
invasive cancer among men in the U.S., whereas,
prostate cancer incidence in Chinese men is much lower.

Q. Can you tell us about your research examining the combination of soy and black tea to prevent prostate cancer.

A. Soy and black tea are two important dietary items that are consumed in the Asian population regularly. Therefore it is possible that soy and black tea may have potent preventive effects. It is also possible they may be even more potent when used in combination. However, these important research questions have not been adequately addressed. Our previous research identified the combination of soy and black tea as having a more potent effect in inhibiting the growth of prostate tumors in animal models. On the other hand, it is unknown if this combination also has potent effects in preventing the development of prostate cancer in humans. We therefore are evaluating the effects of soy and black tea combinations on the prevention of prostate cancer by using a clinically relevant animal model.

Q. What impact could your expected results of the synergistic effect of soy and black tea have on preventing other cancers beyond prostate?

A. If it is verified that the combination of soy and black tea prevent prostate cancer, it will provide supporting evidence and a rationale to conduct research on applying this dietary combination regimen for the prevention of other types of cancer.

Q. How has the Prevent Cancer Foundation grant impacted future research and/or potential innovative approaches to prostate cancer prevention?

A. Our results could lead to further clinical investigations on applying the soy and black tea combination for prostate cancer prevention. Our results may also promote further research on identifying other effective dietary combinations for prostate cancer prevention.