THE PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION AND THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY ANNOUNCE FIRST ACS-PCF YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD

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Feb 22, 2024, 09:45 ET

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) today announced the ACS-PCF Young Investigator Award totaling $225,000 over three years to support a novel health equity research project that aims to reduce disparities in access to modern prostate cancer care in rural settings.

Principal investigator Alexander P. Cole, MD, of Harvard Brigham and Women's Hospital, a urologic oncologist, received the funding support for his project Rural Outpatient Advanced Diagnostics to Maximize Access to Prostate Health (ROADMAP).

One in eight men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, and it is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in men¹. Patients with prostate cancer living in rural communities tend to have reduced access to advanced diagnostics and targeted interventions, such as imaged-guided biopsies and treatments and molecularly targeted therapies, such as PARP inhibitors for those with germline mutations. Many factors contribute to this disparity, including physician referral patterns, patient preferences, geography, hospital type, health insurance, and other healthcare system factors.

Dr. Cole and his team aim to understand the nature of these disparities in access to modern prostate cancer care and create an implementation roadmap for equitably disseminating advanced diagnostics and targeted therapies which will contribute to more equitable and high-quality cancer care for all patients with prostate cancer regardless of race, ethnicity, or geographic location.

"The Prostate Cancer Foundation has been funding research to understand and address prostate cancer disparities for more than 30 years," said Howard R. Soule, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer, PCF. "We are honored to partner with the American Cancer Society in this endeavor and congratulate Dr. Cole and his colleagues on their research which we believe has the potential to reduce disparities in prostate cancer."

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Cole as our ACS-PCF Young Investigator," said William Dahut, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, American Cancer Society. "This unique partnership will accelerate Dr. Cole's progress against cancer through the resources and mentoring opportunities in both of our organizations."

Dr. Cole's mentors on the 2023 ACS – PCF Young Investigator Award are Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, and Adam S. Kibel, MD, of Harvard Brigham and Women's Hospital; and Caroline M. Moore, MD of the University College London, UK.

¹ American Cancer Society/NCI (SEER) Cancer Facts & Figures 2023

About the Prostate Cancer Foundation
The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world's leading philanthropic organization dedicated to funding life-saving prostate cancer research. Founded in 1993 by Mike Milken, PCF has been responsible for raising more than $1 billion in support of cutting-edge research through more than 2,250 research projects at 245 leading cancer centers, with a global footprint spanning 28 countries. Since PCF's inception, and through its efforts, patients around the world are living longer, suffering fewer complications, and enjoying better quality of all life. PCF is committed to creating a global public square for prostate cancer, in service to our mission of ending death and suffering from the disease. Learn more at pcf.org.

About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 100 years, we have been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Staci L. Vernick
Prostate Cancer Foundation
[email protected]
[email protected]
610-812-6092

SOURCE Prostate Cancer Foundation