REPORT SHOWS PROSTATE CANCER ISSUES LAGGING BEHIND BREAST CANCER

National Prostate Cancer Coalition Issues First-Ever Analysis of the Crisis in Men’s Health

Washington, DC - A massive healthcare disparity exists between genders in the U.S., a new study by the National Prostate Cancer Coalition concluded today.

The report, The Prostate Cancer Gap: A Crisis in Men’s Health, examines the glaring disparities in awareness, funding, media coverage and research between prostate cancer and breast cancer. Among the inequities is that for every prostate cancer drug on the market, there are seven for breast cancer, and the disease is outpaced by breast cancer nearly 2:1 in government funds for research.

“Prostate cancer is the second deadliest cancer in men, and will affect more than 230,000 men nationwide this year alone - roughly the same caseload as breast cancer,” said National Prostate Cancer Coalition CEO Richard N. Atkins, MD. “Year after year, the prostate cancer community has received less attention and less funding than many other diseases, especially breast cancer. This report will let lawmakers, advocates, and the media know that a change needs to be made to get prostate cancer the attention it deserves.”

The report provides an analysis of the current state of screening rates, insurance coverage, media exposure, funding, research, and available treatments in both prostate cancer and breast cancer.

The Research Gap
The research gap between prostate cancer and breast cancer has been assessed by the number of approved drug therapies for patients, the quantity of currently active clinical trials, and the volume of published studies. Taxotere, part of a family of drugs called taxanes, is the only chemotherapy drug that has ever been approved for prostate cancer. By contrast, three taxane drugs have been approved for the treatment of breast cancer.

Herceptin (first approved by the FDA in 1998) was recently approved to treat a severe form of breast cancer that tests positive for excessive amounts of a protein called HER-2. For these patients, Herceptin reduced the risk of death by one third and, when used earlier in treatment, cut the risk of recurrence in half.

In May 2007, the prostate cancer community experienced a major setback when the FDA failed to approve Provenge, a much-anticipated new therapy in the pipeline at Dendreon Corp. Many advocates continue to be frustrated by the lack of treatment options for men with prostate cancer, and some even question whether a breast cancer drug would have received a similar setback.

“The future of prostate cancer research will depend on a significant increase in funding, advancement in our knowledge of the genetic causes of cancers, and research into the unique qualities of cancers from specific locations,” concluded Dr. Atkins. “NPCC is dedicated to shedding light on these issues to raise awareness, funding, and research to provide men with prostate cancer the chance they deserve to treat and beat this disease.”

The Funding Gap
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the driving force behind cancer research in America, with an annual budget that exceeds $4.5 billion to provide grant funding to scientists and institutions for cancer research. Since the National Prostate Cancer Coalition was founded, prostate cancer research funding at the NCI has increased from $86 million in 1996 to $376 million in 2006. By contrast, the budget for breast cancer research was already at $382 million in 1996, and just last year, had reached more than $715 million.

Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRPs) at the Department of Defense are at the cutting edge of medical research, focusing on individual diseases, including breast and prostate cancer, and directing allocated funds toward research. The Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) was established to operate at a minimum of $100 million per year, however funding levels of $80 - $85 million per year have prevented the program from taking several research breakthroughs to the clinical trial stage. This is a critical step toward making drugs available to patients.

The News Gap
A comprehensive analysis of news coverage of prostate cancer and breast cancer confirms the media consistently reports on news in breast cancer issues. In fact, while news coverage of cancer in general has been growing steadily, there have been more than 2.6 times as many stories about breast cancer than about prostate cancer. This translates to nearly 300,000 stories about breast cancer, compared to less than 115,000 stories about prostate cancer.

The following breakdown indicates the number of prostate cancer and breast cancer stories in seven leading national new outlets from 1996 - 2006 (Source: Google Advanced News Archive Search).

News Outlet	# of Breast Cancer Stories	# of Prostate Cancer Stories
ABC News	895	228
CBS News	498	174
FOX News	302	100
NBC News	498	174
Newsweek	662	254
New York Times	2,554	1,165
Washington Post	4,058	2,031

From an increase in reports on breast cancer research to a high volume of coverage around celebrity breast cancer events, the numbers speak for themselves. The real news in prostate cancer is that it is generally under-reported.

The Insurance Gap
Although the PSA test and Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) - or physical exam - represent the most cost-effective tools for detecting prostate cancer in its earliest stage, only 28 states and the District of Columbia currently mandate that insurance companies provide coverage for routine screening tests. Conversely, 49 states mandate that breast cancer screenings are covered by insurance, leading to the nearly 70 percent of women age 40 and over who have had a mammogram in the past two years.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends men start annual screening at age 50, or earlier for those in high risk groups such as African American men or those with a family history of the disease. Legislation for a screening insurance mandate is pending in five states. An insurance mandate for prostate cancer screening would stipulate that screening be offered as a basic service not subject to a deductible.

The Screening Gap
The mammogram for breast cancer screening and the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test for prostate cancer screening both became widely available during the early 1990s. The widespread use of both screening tools has contributed to the increase in early detection and subsequent drop in deaths from cancer.

While rates of PSA screening lag behind mammography screening (52 to 58 percent), rates of both have dropped slightly in the last few years. The PSA test is not perfect, but when used with the physical prostate exam, it is the best screening tool currently available. Men need a better screening test for prostate cancer. Several promising screening tools are under development, though more resources are needed to bring these products to market. Further, the prostate cancer advocacy gap continues to slow this development.

The Prostate Cancer Gap: A Crisis in Men’s Health is available to view and download at www.FightProstateCancer.org/ProstateCancerGap.

About the National Prostate Cancer Coalition
The National Prostate Cancer Coalition (www.fightprostatecancer.org) sets the standard for rapidly reducing the burden of prostate cancer on American men and their families through awareness, outreach, and advocacy.

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