New Study: Inherited Genetic Factors Impact on Prostate Cancer Risk and Treatment August 7, 2021 We know that prostate cancer may be written in some men’s genes, but so are instructions for discovering new treatments and understanding family risk. If we want to better understand prostate cancer, we have to better understand genes. That’s why the genetic information of prostate cancer patients is so important. This information is the next step in our collective fight against the disease. Yet, while 1 in 9 men will get prostate cancer and more than 4 million American men are currently living with the disease, genetic information is only beginning to be used for prostate cancer. The PROMISE study is being launched to change all that. PROMISE seeks to learn more about the role genes can play in improving outcomes and/or treatments for prostate cancer patients. It will help us understand how prostate cancer care can be tailored precisely based on a patient’s unique genetic profile. This means better information, testing and choices for you and others like you. PROMISE research will examine how information about particular genetic profiles can:Influence the susceptibility of men to prostate cancerImpact the effectiveness of existing treatmentsImprove guidance for different and/or new treatment optionsSuggest precise areas to explore for new discoveries. How PROMISE WorksPROMISE is completely free. Patients continue with their current provider and don’t even need to leave home to participate. Register online and we’ll send a simple, home-based DNA test kit. Just provide a saliva sample and return it via prepaid U.S. mail. The kit will screen for one of 30 cancer risk genes. We’ll send you the results and will provide a licensed genetic counselor to help you understand your results. You will learn if you have any gene mutations that might affect your care plan. The results may inform you of available treatment options and previously unknown risks of family members developing cancer. PROMISE will also create a new mechanism to communicate with prostate cancer patients on an ongoing basis to help connect them with new trials and treatments as relevant clinical trials are opened and approved for prostate cancer.Benefits of Joining the PROMISE StudyProstate cancer patients who join PROMISE will: Receive free genetic testing and counseling that will help you learn important new information about genetic factors in your cancer and discover if you have a critical gene mutation that may impact your care plan. Receive the most current information about new research, clinical trial opportunities, and treatments approved by the FDA. This information is sent via regular newsletters and updates.Help family members understand their own risk of cancer and risk for future generations. Make an important contribution to advancing research & understanding of prostate cancer by providing essential genetic information and long-term outcomes that are not available anywhere else. Learn MorePROMISE is supported by a group of mission-driven nonprofit organizations. No pharmaceutical firms or any commercial interests are supporting this research. Participation is free and easy. Patients remain under the care of their current doctor. Patient’s don’t even need to leave home. Measures are in place to ensure safety, privacy and security. Talk with your doctor about PROMISE and visit prostatecancerPROMISE.org. You can help win the fight against prostate. Blog Posts Clinical Trials Health & Nutrition Research Treatment Options Contributors Heather Cheng MD, PhD, Associate Professor Dr. Cheng is an associate professor, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington. She is also a faculty member at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Cheng is a lead investigator of the PROMISE study. She focuses on improving the care of patients with prostate and bladder cancers. An expert in prostate cancer genetics, Dr. Cheng often provides content For ZERO Prostate Cancer. Dr. Cheng is studying ways to use genetics to guide the care of prostate cancer patients and their family members who may also be at high risk for the disease. She leads clinical trials of a variety of new treatments for prostate cancer. Dr. Cheng led the research study: GENTleMEN: GENetic Testing for MEN with metastatic prostate cancer. She is also developing new tests that could help guide doctors’ choice of treatment for each patient and new blood tests to detect and monitor the progression of prostate cancer. Dr. Channing Paller Dr. Paller is associate professor of Oncology and Urology at Johns Hopkins University, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate director for Oncology of the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Network. She is a clinician scientist focused on translating basic scientific findings into treatments that will improve clinical outcomes and reduce toxicities for men with prostate cancer. Dr. Paller is a lead investigator of the PROMISE study and, as an expert in clinical trial design, she leads multiple clinical trials of innovative new treatments and treatment combinations employing germline and somatic biomarkers. She earned her M.D. at Harvard Medical School and completed her medical residency and fellowship in Medical Oncology at Johns Hopkins. More for you
We know that prostate cancer may be written in some men’s genes, but so are instructions for discovering new treatments and understanding family risk. If we want to better understand prostate cancer, we have to better understand genes. That’s why the genetic information of prostate cancer patients is so important. This information is the next step in our collective fight against the disease. Yet, while 1 in 9 men will get prostate cancer and more than 4 million American men are currently living with the disease, genetic information is only beginning to be used for prostate cancer. The PROMISE study is being launched to change all that. PROMISE seeks to learn more about the role genes can play in improving outcomes and/or treatments for prostate cancer patients. It will help us understand how prostate cancer care can be tailored precisely based on a patient’s unique genetic profile. This means better information, testing and choices for you and others like you. PROMISE research will examine how information about particular genetic profiles can:Influence the susceptibility of men to prostate cancerImpact the effectiveness of existing treatmentsImprove guidance for different and/or new treatment optionsSuggest precise areas to explore for new discoveries. How PROMISE WorksPROMISE is completely free. Patients continue with their current provider and don’t even need to leave home to participate. Register online and we’ll send a simple, home-based DNA test kit. Just provide a saliva sample and return it via prepaid U.S. mail. The kit will screen for one of 30 cancer risk genes. We’ll send you the results and will provide a licensed genetic counselor to help you understand your results. You will learn if you have any gene mutations that might affect your care plan. The results may inform you of available treatment options and previously unknown risks of family members developing cancer. PROMISE will also create a new mechanism to communicate with prostate cancer patients on an ongoing basis to help connect them with new trials and treatments as relevant clinical trials are opened and approved for prostate cancer.Benefits of Joining the PROMISE StudyProstate cancer patients who join PROMISE will: Receive free genetic testing and counseling that will help you learn important new information about genetic factors in your cancer and discover if you have a critical gene mutation that may impact your care plan. Receive the most current information about new research, clinical trial opportunities, and treatments approved by the FDA. This information is sent via regular newsletters and updates.Help family members understand their own risk of cancer and risk for future generations. Make an important contribution to advancing research & understanding of prostate cancer by providing essential genetic information and long-term outcomes that are not available anywhere else. Learn MorePROMISE is supported by a group of mission-driven nonprofit organizations. No pharmaceutical firms or any commercial interests are supporting this research. Participation is free and easy. Patients remain under the care of their current doctor. Patient’s don’t even need to leave home. Measures are in place to ensure safety, privacy and security. Talk with your doctor about PROMISE and visit prostatecancerPROMISE.org. You can help win the fight against prostate.
