Importance of Baseline Screening in Younger Men is Underscored
NEWTON, MA, May 15, 2015—AdMeTech Foundation and the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition (MPCC) today led the state’s first public discussion of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Early Detection of Prostate Cancer developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). These guidelines were developed by the world-leading experts in patient care and research from the top 23 cancer hospitals, including the Harvard Medical School-wide Dana Farber Harvard Cancer Center (DFHCC).
This panel discussion is an integral component of a statewide prostate cancer education and awareness campaign launched by AdMeTech in cooperation with MPCC and the DFHCC experts and funded by the Department of Public Health (DPH).
The panel featured Sigrid Carlsson, MD, PhD of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who presented emerging scientific evidence underpinning the NCCN guidelines, highlighting the critical role of baseline blood test for prostate specific antigen (PSA) when obtained in younger men (aged 45-49). The NCCN guidelines address the key challenges in prostate cancer screening:
- To maximize early detection of aggressive prostate cancer, which is critical for saving lives; and
- To minimize the risk of unnecessary biopsies and treatment for benign and slow-growing diseases, which are not likely to cause symptoms in a man’s lifetime.
The multi-disciplinary panel also featured Dana Farber Harvard Cancer Center’s Dr. Jacques Carter, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Dr. Neil Martin, radiation oncologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and Dr. Mark Pomerantz, medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Prostate cancer is the most common and the second most lethal malignancy in American men. According to AdMeTech Foundation, more than 600 Massachusetts men will die each year of prostate cancer, even though it is curable when detected early. Men of color are impacted disproportionately, with 2.5 times higher mortality. At the same time, more than 20,000 Massachusetts men will have unnecessary, invasive biopsies and more than 2,000 men will have unnecessary treatment, which cause complications and inflate health care costs.
The panel, “Prostate Cancer Screening: Emerging Scientific Data and Guidelines,”
served as a closing event of the MPCC’s 18th Annual Symposium at the Boston Marriott Newton. Men of color represented over 30% of the event’s participants. It was introduced by the MPCC’s Executive Director Mark Kennedy and moderated by AdMeTech’s President, Dr. Faina Shtern.
“Groundbreaking NCCN guidelines created a roadmap for proper use of PSA screening to ensure early detection and accurate prediction of life-threatening prostate cancer and to reduce the risk of over-diagnosis and over-treatment of low-risk diseases,” said Dr. Faina Shtern, President of AdMeTech Foundation, and the moderator of the panel. “This panel reflects the goal of our campaign to bring the cutting-edge advances in patient care to every man in the Commonwealth, with the focus on the most vulnerable and under-served individuals.”
“The most dramatic effect on the ratio of harms to benefits would be to greatly restrict screening for men above 70 and for men above 60 with a PSA less than 1 ng/ mL,” said Dr. Carlsson.
“The NCCN Guidelines proliferate risk-stratified approaches to screening for prostate cancer, which both mitigate over diagnosis and over treatment and allow men at risk to get the services they actually need. We look forward to the impact that these guidelines will have on clinical practice,” said Kennedy.
“Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men in the United States. Data suggest that early detection saves lives and PSA screening can be used to identify early-stage disease. However, many prostate cancers are harmless and screening leads to unnecessary diagnoses. Developing strategies for optimal use of PSA remains a significant challenge,” said Dr. Pomerantz.
In March, AdMeTech Foundation announced the launch of a statewide prostate cancer education and awareness campaign supported by DPH, leading experts and statewide advocacy groups, including the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition, Men of Color Health Awareness, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the NAACP New England Area Conference. The campaign is focused on men at high risk of prostate cancer and seeks to save lives, improve quality of life, and reduce health care costs.
About the Massachusetts Prostate Coalition (MPCC): The Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition (MPCC) educates, connects, and supports men-at-risk, newly diagnosed individuals, survivors, and their families. It also connects organizations and professionals in Massachusetts that seek to conquer and cure prostate cancer.
About AdMeTech Foundation: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Boston, MA, which established the Manogram® Project providing international leadership for groundbreaking programs in research, education and awareness in order to advance early detection and treatment of prostate cancer (www.admetech.org).
