September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

In fact, approximately 90 percent of all localized prostate cancer patients receive surgery (radical prostatectomy), radiation or drug therapy. This occurs despite the high risk of treatment-related complications and the fact that the vast majority of prostate cancers do not cause death.  There is widespread concern that the early detection of prostate cancer through screening programs alone has led to the overtreatment of this localized disease.  
 
According to the American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU), there is an “urgency” to provide genetic testing for men with prostate cancer for two main reasons:
•           Accurate selection of men with low-risk cancer who may be eligible for active surveillance and spared the burden of over treatment and associated side effects (e.g., impotence and urinary incontinence).
•           Identification of men with high-risk disease who require more aggressive treatment to improve health outcomes.
 
There is a well-validated genetic test called Prolaris® that distinguishes between aggressive and non-aggressive tumors more accurately than current clinical features, enabling physicians to confidently tailor optimal treatment plans for each patient.  The Prolaris test: 
•           Uses a biopsy tissue to analyze 46 genes.
•           Is well studied in more than 10 clinical trials.
•           Accurately predicts the 10-year risk of dying from prostate cancer. 
•           Importantly, 62 percent of men tested with Prolaris qualified for active surveillance, allowing them to avoid unnecessary treatments like surgery and/or radiation.
 
Medicare and private health plans cover the Prolaris test for most patients with prostate cancer.
•           More than 60,000 men have received the Prolaris test to help guide their treatment for prostate cancer.
•           Financial assistance programs are available to uninsured or under insured men.