Research Program: Prostate Cancer

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Prostate Cancer Program The Prostate Cancer Program (PCP) aims to advance and exploit scientific knowledge that will reduce the morbidity and mortality attributed to prostate cancer and lead to improvements in patients' quality of life. The PCP has three primary areas of focus where cooperative efforts (allocation of resources; faculty recruitments; scientific collaborations) are coordinated to make substantive advancements: 1) understanding the heritable and environmental risk factors contributing to prostate cancer development, progression, and lethality; 2) targeting mechanisms contributing to castration-resistant prostate cancer progression; and, 3) distinguishing lethal from indolent prostate cancer through discovery and validation of prognostic biomarkers and a treatment plan that affords longitudinal assessments and attenuation of risk. The P30 CCSG supports this research program by providing: key shared resources, particularly Comparative Medicine, Specimen Processing, Genomics, and Research Pathology; administrative and logistical support for PCP meetings, pilot funding for new clinical and translational research projects, and recruitment grants for new faculty. The Prostate Cancer Program currently has 32 members from 3 schools/divisions, 10 departments and 2 institutions. Eight members have primary appointments at FHCRC and 24 at UW. 29 Members (90%) have peer-reviewed funding, are PI on a clinical trial, or are newly recruited and supported by institutional funds. The current research support of PCP members comprises $6.5M in peer-reviewed funding of which $4.4M (68%) is from the NCI (direct dollars.) Due to the efforts in promoting inter-disciplinary studies, a substantial component of the research funding is in the form of P50, P01, and other collaborative grants. Of the 417 newly treated prostate cancer patients, 66 (16%) were enrolled onto therapeutic clinical trials in 2013. The program published a total of 458 papers in the previous grant period. 24% were inter-institutional, 32% were intra-programmatic and 20% were inter-programmatic.