— Men across the country are asked to share their experience on the Prostate Cancer Registry in order to help save more lives from the disease —
Atlanta, GA — As the country focuses on men’s health by growing facial hair to draw attention to health issues during the month of November, also known as “Movember”, Clark Atlanta University (CAU) announces a nationwide expansion of its Prostate Cancer Registry. The registry galvanizes prostate cancer survivors to share their stories in an effort to reduce health disparities and improve the treatment, care and long term quality of life issues that affect African-American prostate cancer survivors most.
According the Centers for Disease Control, one in five African-American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. It is the second most common cancer in American men and the second most common cause of death from cancer among most racial and ethnic groups.
“We are asking African-American men from around the nation to sign up with our Prostate Cancer Registry at pcregistry.cau.edu,” said Shafiq A. Khan, Ph.D., director of CCRTD, CAU. “While the causes of the health disparity for prostate cancer in African-American men remains unclear, we know for sure that early detection saves lives. The information privately gathered in the registry will help us learn from vast experiences, and develop better interventions earlier in order to help save more lives from the disease.”
Beginning this month, the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development (CCRTD) at CAU, the largest cancer center focused on prostate cancer research within a historically black college or university, will begin collecting data from prostate cancer survivors from across the nation. Data collected through the Prostate Cancer Registry will capture relevant treatments, procedures, and interventions most commonly experienced throughout the prostate cancer continuum of care. Ultimately, the private insights and data will help guide early detection strategies, clinical practices and processes; and improve quality of patient care for African-American men, who face a disproportionately higher rate of prostate cancer incidence and mortality compared to other races.
“By December 2018, we are hoping to have more than 500 men enrolled in the registry, and we hope by getting the word out, people will register and share,” said Kimberly E. Davis, Ph.D., senior research scientist and community outreach director, CCRTD, CAU. “By sharing their experiences, we envision prostate cancer survivors working as one to build knowledge about the challenges they have faced. Our hope is that, through new research, individuals affected by prostate cancer can become more informed and active in making decisions. We hope to play a part in forming a supportive community that may possibly lead to improved quality of life and enhanced possibilities in survivorship.”
To learn more or to sign up for the Prostate Cancer Registry, prostate cancer survivors should visit www.pcregistry.cau.edu or click here. Participants will be asked to fill out a questionnaire chronicling their experience as a survivor. The questionnaire takes less than an hour to complete. The registry is open to any prostate cancer survivor over the age of 18. For more information, call CAU’s CCRTD at 404-880-6763 or e-mail ccrtd@cau.edu.
“If you are a survivor or know of a survivor, please consider sharing and registering. Your input could help save a life, and at the very least, help improve the quality of life for future prostate cancer survivors,” said Davis.
The Prostate Cancer registry at Clark Atlanta University is a project of The Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development (CCRTD), the largest cancer center focused on prostate cancer research within a historically black college or university. Established in 1999 with funds from the National Institutes of Health, the center’s mission is to alleviate health disparities among prostate cancer patients and survivors from racial and ethnic groups throughout the nation to today the Center continues to receive federal dollars, as well as funding from the Georgia Research Alliance, private sectors and Clark Atlanta University. Named a University Center of Excellence at Clark Atlanta University, CCRTD is now recognized as one of the nation’s top academic cancer research centers.
PRESS CONTACT:
Betsy Helgager Hughes
BLH Consulting, Inc. for CAU’s CCRTD
Betsy@blhconsulting.net
404-688-0415