Genetic Testing May Help Identify Black Men at Higher Risk of Prostate Cancer
Thomas A. Farrington, PHEN President
Nationwide — The Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN), whose mission is to eliminate the prostate cancer racial disparity for African American men, announced the launch of PHENPM.com, a new online portal focused on precision medicine care for prostate cancer patients. Precision medicine is medical care designed to enhance therapies for specific groups of patients, especially via molecular and/or genetic profiling. This innovative website provides information on personalized prostate cancer treatment, genomic testing for prostate cancer patients, targeted therapy for this disease, precision medicine clinical trials, and molecular diagnostics.“Our goal in creating this portal is to help prostate cancer patients learn about the numerous benefits of precision medicine therapies, such as expanded treatment options, improved targeted therapies, better cancer detection tools, immunotherapies with fewer side effects, and enhanced quality of life,” said Dr. Keith Crawford, Director of Patient Education and Clinical Trials at PHEN.
Patients can also find out about genomic testing for prostate cancer, which involves determining one’s genetic history and predispositions to cell mutations. Furthermore, the precision medicine portal offers a glimpse into patients’ lives via stories describing how precision medicine care and personalized prostate cancer treatments saved their lives.
One of PHEN’s goals is to diversify clinical trials by including more African American men and PHENPM.com also addresses personalized treatment via clinical trial participation. Clinical trials tailored to individual patients can revolutionize prostate cancer treatment, save lives, and improve each patient’s quality of life.
“There’s no way around it. Black men face a significantly higher chance of prostate cancer and mortality. It makes genetic testing crucial,” said Crawford. One in six Black men is diagnosed with prostate cancer, which is nearly 80% higher than in White men. To achieve the mission of eliminating this prostate cancer disparity, PHEN provides free online resources for African American prostate cancer patients, survivors, and those at high risk. Along with PHENPM.com, you can learn about prostate cancer treatments by visiting PHENPath.com.
For clinical trial information, PHENTrials.com invites patients to participate in personalized prostate cancer trials. For information on early detection screening, visit PHENPSA.com.
About
PHEN was founded in 2003 by Thomas A. Farrington, a black prostate cancer survivor, with a mission to eliminate the prostate cancer racial disparity, which is the largest for any major cancer for men or women. Working with community partners, PHEN implements national initiatives for prostate cancer awareness, early detection screening, treatment options, and clinical trials.