In partnership with prostate cancer survivor and baseball Hall-of-Famer Joe Torre and Genomic Health, Men’s Health Network (www.menshealthnetwork.org) is pleased to participate in the Your Prostate Your Decision patient education campaign.
This nationwide effort aims to educate prostate cancer patients and their loved ones that every man is different and every cancer is unique, and that a genomic test can clarify the aggressiveness of one’s prostate cancer prior to invasive treatment. Your Prostate Your Decision is the first-of-its-kind collaboration to address the disturbing results of a recent, large national survey that found low general awareness
Consider these findings:
While half of new prostate cancer cases are low-risk*, 90% of low-risk men will receive immediate invasive treatment, while only 3% of these low-risk cases would ever become life-threatening. Active surveillance is an appropriate treatment plan for many, especially these low risk men, yet few men or their caregivers consider it as an option. In fact, in a recent study, despite continued research supporting active surveillance, only 10% of men and 27% of women considered active surveillance an option for prostate cancer.
Additionally, there is a widespread misconception regarding prostate cancer risk (meaning the risk of aggressive versus non-aggressive disease) and the need for immediate treatment: 47% of men and 51% of women believe prostate cancer is high-risk, 51% of men and 43% of women believe it is life-threatening, and 59% of men and 62% of women believe it is best treated immediately.
With 1 in 6 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the United States alone**, it is essential that we provide men and their loved ones with important information about recent advances in medicine and a genomic test that can play a key role in personalizing their treatment choice. After all, it is Your Prostate, Your Decision.
To learn more about Your Prostate Your Decision, visit www.YourProstateYourDecision.com, a site that offers tools and resources for patients and their loved ones to help make a more confident decision regarding their treatment path.
* Boorjian. 2008. Urol
** Men’s Health Network (https://www.menshealthnetwork.org/Iibrary/prostatecancerfacts.pdf)
When will the Joe Torre campaign be published? Joe is such a prominent figure in major league baseball and his other outreach programs, he is a great choice, since men young and old will listen to what he has to say about prostate cancer.
Hey Ken, We started the campaign around the 22nd of September. Joe Torre is a great champion for the fight against prostate cancer!