Program Leadership

Prostate Cancer Program

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men. Fewer than 10% of cases are diagnosed by the time overt metastases are recognized. Earlier diagnosis is now possible through the use of prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening; as a result, the spectrum of the disease has changed significantly. Evidence supports the hypothesis that earlier diagnosis through PSA-based screening, coupled with effective therapy, may have resulted in decreased prostate-cancer mortality over the past five years.

Although advances have been made in treatment of patients with advanced prostate cancer, including chemotherapy that prolongs survival, development of better agents against existing targets is vital, as well as development of agents directed toward heretofore unidentified targets. Because of high mortality from advanced prostate cancer, primary prevention and early detection remain leading goals.

The DF/HCC Prostate Cancer Program’s mission is to reduce the burden of prostate cancer through research on risk identification, molecular disease pathogenesis, and therapeutics. The specific aims of the Prostate Cancer Program are to:

• Define the germline genetic and environmental determinants of prostate cancer pathogenesis and progression
• Improve the staging of patients with prostate cancer to afford better assessment of prognosis through pathologic, radiographic, and molecular means
• Improve patient treatment through better assignment of conventional treatment by risk strata and by introduction of novel therapeutic strategies

The DF/HCC Prostate Cancer Program provides:

• A robust environment for discovery and collaboration
• Interaction in a complex multi-institutional, multidisciplinary environment
• Connectivity between cancer epidemiology, basic science, and clinical science