A Joint Statement From America's Prostate Cancer Advocacy, Education, and Support...

A Joint Statement From America's Prostate Cancer Advocacy, Education, and
Support Organizations

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Since 1993, when the PLCO
trial was started, we have awaited the results of this trial with eager
anticipation, as have others. The initial report of the results of this study
-- and those of a comparable European trial -- published last week in the New
England Journal of Medicine have told us two things:

* The studies offer conflicting evidence about the possibility of a prostate
cancer-specific survival benefit associated with the regular use of prostate
specific antigen (PSA) testing and digital rectal examination (DRE).

* These studies provide no convincing evidence that mass screening of men over
50 or 55 years of age will lead to a prostate cancer-specific survival benefit
within 10 years.

We have come together to make two clear statements about these trials:

* Above all we thank the patients, the investigators, and the national
authorities that funded these two trials for their efforts. The development
and implementation of these trials over the past 16 years has been an enormous
commitment by all concerned.

* We enthusiastically support the continued follow-up of patients in the
prostate cancer arm of the PLCO study for at least a further 5 years, through
2014, as originally envisaged.

In addition, in the long-term interests of the health of every man in the USA,
and with health reform recognized as a national priority, we wish to state the
following:

* Every man, regardless of his age, has the right to know whether he is at
risk from prostate cancer, a disease that still kills over 28,600 American men
every year, and many more around the world. We encourage all men to be
proactive, and to seek out information and support in regard to their health.

* We shall continue to encourage every man to discuss his individual risk for
prostate cancer with his doctors, and to request the appropriate use of PSA
and DRE tests until better options are available. Further clinical action
based on results of these tests is also a matter for serious discussion
between each patient and his physicians.

* We call upon the federal government to emphasize the need for more research
into early detection technologies and methods that will lead to better and
more accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer.

* We call upon Congress to increase funding for the Prostate Cancer Research
Program at the Department of Defense.

* We call upon the National Institutes of Health to increase funding for
prostate cancer research through the National Cancer Institute.

* We call upon the medical research community to place greater emphasis on the
development of new clinical tests that can differentiate between those men at
greatest need for aggressive prostate cancer treatment and those with indolent
forms of the disease who can be well managed without invasive treatment.

This statement is approved by the following U.S.-based prostate cancer
advocacy, education, and support organizations:

* Malecare Prostate Cancer Support - www.malecare.com

* Men's Health Network - www.menshealthnetwork.org

* National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions - www.naspcc.org

* Prostate Cancer Foundation - www.pcf.org

* Prostate Cancer International - www.pcainternational.org

* Prostate Conditions Education Council - www.prostateconditions.org

* Prostate Health Education Network - www.prostatehealthed.org

* The Prostate Cancer Mission - www.pcmission.org

* The Prostate Net - www.prostatenet.org

* Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network -
www.ustoo.com

* Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition - www.vapcacoalition.org

* Women Against Prostate Cancer - www.womenagainstprostatecancer.org

* ZERO - The Project to End Prostate Cancer - www.zerocancer.org

SOURCE Men's Health Network

Darryl Mitteldorf of Malecare Prostate Cancer Support, +1-212-673-4920; Scott
Williams of Men's Health Network, +1-202-543-6461 x 101; Jan Marfyak of
National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions, +1-505-994-3066; Dan
Zenka of Prostate Cancer Foundation, +1-310-570-4714; Mike Scott of Prostate
Cancer International, +1-267-250-5087; Wendy Poage of Prostate Conditions
Education Council, +1-303-316-4685; Thomas Farrington of Prostate Health
Education Network, +1-781-487-2239; Dr. Arnon Krongrad of The Prostate Cancer
Mission, +1-305-790-2363; Virgil Simons of The Prostate Net, +1-201-342-3202;
Thomas Kirk of Us TOO International, +1-630-795-1002; Katherine Meade of
Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition, +1-703-626-5381; Theresa Morrow of Women
Against Prostate Cancer, +1-202-580-5730; or Skip Lockwood of ZERO - The
Project to End Prostate Cancer, +1-202-303-3110