Identifying New Biomarkers So We Can Overtreat Less and Cure More

PCF hosted a roundtable discussion among top experts addressed the growing controversy around PSA testing in men and provided clarity around what is currently the best available first-use tool in the process of diagnosing prostate cancer. The panel discussed who should be getting the PSA test, and what men and their physicians should know about using and interpreting results. The panel also previewed promising blood and urine tests still in development that may ultimately replace PSA testing and lead to more targeted treatment of aggressive prostate cancers.

Overview

Full Video (in 3 parts)

Background

With research divided on the value of PSA testing, many men and their physicians are unclear on when or whether to get tested, and how they can protect their health. Experts estimate that overtreatment of prostate cancer costs $3 billion each year in the United States and takes a significant toll on men who experience side-effects from treatment. As our nation looks to reduce costs and improve the delivery of healthcare, leaders in the prostate cancer field are working to find ways to “overtreat less, and cure more” and are looking to genetics-, blood- and urine- based testing to replace PSA testing. Sustained research funding is critical to bringing these targeted tests to men and their physicians.

Panelists:

Trip Casscells, MD - Moderator
Retired Assistant Secretary of Defense – Health Affairs
John Edward Tyson Distinguished Professor of Medicine and
Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

 

Stanley Frencher, MD
UCLA
The Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program

 

Robert Getzenberg, PhD
Research Director
James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

 

Leo Giambarresi, PhD
Director of Research
The AUA Foundation

 

Stuart Holden, MD
Director of the Louis Warschaw Prostate Cancer Center,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Medical Director, Prostate Cancer Foundation

 

Jonathan Simons, MD
President, CEO and David Koch Chair
Prostate Cancer Foundation

 

Richard Steele, Prostate Cancer Survivor
On Air Host, Eight Forty-Eight
Chicago Public Radio