PCF Roundtable Addresses PSA Testing Controversy

April 19, 2010 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Prostate Cancer Foundation Roundtable Addresses PSA Testing Controversy

Panel to Give Clear Guidance to Men and Their Physicians on How to Use the PSA Test;

Experts Will Highlight Novel Tests That May Avoid Overtreatment

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prostate Cancer Foundation:

What:
This roundtable discussion among top experts will address the growing controversy around prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in men. The panel will clear up confusion about who should be getting the PSA test, and what men and their physicians should know about using and interpreting results. The panel will also preview promising blood and urine tests still in development that may ultimately replace PSA testing and lead to more targeted treatment of aggressive prostate cancers.

Why:
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 men 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. Leaders in the prostate cancer field are working to find ways to “overtreat less, and cure more” and are looking to genetics-based testing to replace PSA testing. Sustained research funding is critical to bringing these targeted tests to men and their physicians.

Who:
Hosted by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, this roundtable will include:

•Ward “Trip” Casscells, M.D., Retired Assistant Secretary of Defense, and Professor of Medicine and Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center
•Jonathan W. Simons, M.D., CEO, Prostate Cancer Foundation
•Stuart Holden, M.D., Director of the Louis Warschaw Prostate Cancer Center, Cedars Sinai Medical Center
•Robert Getzenberg, Ph.D., Research Director, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center
•Stanley Frencher, M.D., M.P.H., UCLA and The Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program
•Leo Giambarresi, M.D., Director of Research at the American Urological Association Foundation
•Richard Steele, Prostate Cancer Survivor and Radio Host, Chicago Public Radio
Where:
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2247
50 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC

When:
Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Prostate Cancer Foundation Roundtable Addresses PSA Testing Controversy


The Prostate Cancer Foundation Website