Transforming Health Care through Innovative and Impactful Research

September 19, 2024

In FY24, Congress appropriated $110 million to the Prostate Cancer Research Program to support research aimed at eliminating death and suffering from prostate cancer for Service Members and their Families, Veterans, and the public.

According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2024, an estimated 299,010 individuals in the United States will receive new diagnoses of prostate cancer, and about 35,000 will die. Prostate cancer impacts the prostate, a small gland in the male reproductive system.

Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer and is the second most common cause of cancer-related death for males. Since males make up nearly 80% of the armed forces, prostate cancer is a critical health care concern for Service Members and Veterans. Prostate cancer has a higher rate in Service Members aged 40-59 compared to their civilian counterparts, which may be partially attributable to higher rates of screening in the military and service-related exposures.

THE COMMUNITY MEMBER PERSPECTIVE IS CENTRAL TO THE PCRP

The PCRP is dedicated to supporting innovative, transformative and clinically relevant research.

To better understand how prostate cancer affects patient quality of life, the PCRP includes community members, those living with a prostate cancer diagnosis, in the program�s two-tier review process of peer and programmatic reviews. Alongside the scientific experts in the cancer research community, they ensure funded research addresses critical gaps in understanding prostate cancer and patient care.

Edward �Ted� Healy, served as peer reviewer for the PCRP from FY21 to FY23. Healy is a metastatic prostate cancer survivor.

�As a �persistent� stage 4 survivor, my case has led me to experience firsthand a great number of challenges that cancer patients like me face,� Healy said. �So, a lot of proposals I review are conditions I�ve experienced myself and can be the actual face of a patient to the other experts reviewing the proposals.�

The collaboration between the scientific and patient communities encourages investigators to address identified priorities in the research field, such as improving the quality of life for those impacted by prostate cancer, developing new treatments, improving existing treatment strategies, reducing health disparities and increasing understanding of prostate cancer disease progression.

�Every time I walk away from the review process, I�m always struck with a great feeling of hope,� Healy said. �Hope that a cure for this awful disease will occur in my lifetime and gratitude for my fellow reviewers who are so dedicated to this cause.�

THE PCRP-FUNDED PROSTATE CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS CONSORTIUM

The PCRP also encourages collaboration with other research agencies and among investigators. In 2005, the PCRP invested $11.1M to create the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium. Comprised of 12 PCRP-funded and more than 100 affiliate clinical research sites, the consortium facilitates collaboration between investigators, clinical research sites and industry partners.

The PCCTC focuses on research that will impact patient lives by keeping the research focused on promising new treatments and validated biomarkers. The PCCTC facilitated 274 clinical trials with more than 14,000 prostate cancer patients. From these trials, 21 interventions advanced to phase 3 studies and the FDA approved six treatments.

THE PROMISE REGISTRY

As a result of continued PCRP investments, the PCCTC recently established PROMISE. PROMISE is a multi-site research collaboration to develop a nationwide prostate cancer registry of patients with germline pathogenic variants, or hereditary DNA-markers that signal a potential for developing prostate cancers.

This study will screen about 5,000 patients with confirmed prostate cancer using a saliva-based test for these variants. Researchers will follow the participants with eligible germline variants every six months for a minimum of 15 years.

Led by Channing J. Paller, M.D., at Johns Hopkins University and Heather H. Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington, the PROMISE Registry provides an opportunity to learn more about how genetic variants, also known as mutations, can impact susceptibility to prostate cancer and treatment effectiveness, inform treatment choices and identify novel areas of research.

�[The PROMISE Registry is] a monumental effort that will continue to advance the field of prostate cancer targeted treatment through education and collaboration with patients, researchers, and clinicians,� Paller said.

With oversight from the PCCTC advisory board, the study is currently enrolling participants from across the United States. As of November 2023, over 2,000 individuals with prostate cancer joined the PROMISE Registry, and 202 patients met the requirements for long-term follow-up. The PROMISE team expects to continue recruiting individuals with prostate cancer through 2026.

�In addition to continuing to build an ever-growing knowledge base around germline variants in prostate cancer and targeted therapy options, PROMISE seeks to engage and partner with more prostate cancer patients around the country by making it easier to participate from clinic or from their home,� Cheng said.

Pending any future funding support, the PROMISE Registry team aims to expand outreach to medically underserved communities and in rural areas through building partnerships.

Finally, with the genetic data gathered as part of PROMISE, researchers can connect patients with clinical trials and drive future prostate cancer research on genetics and improving treatment outcomes.

PCRP-FUNDED RESEARCH IMPACTS PATIENT�S LIVES

The CDMRP remains dedicated to funding scientific research to transform health care and incorporating prostate cancer community members who enrich the scientific review process.

Healy said he enjoys learning of the cutting-edge scientific research the PCRP funds.

�I don�t want men to go through what I�ve been through,� Healy said

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