Prostate Cancer Treatments & Video on Chemo Side Effects

VIDEO: You should know Chemotherapy Cancer Treatments & Side Effects.

Prostate Cancer Results Study Group (PCRSG)
PCRSG Expert Panel Locations for Global Overlay
The PCRSG is a group of doctors and medical professionals of all disciplines (Robotic Surgery, Open Surgery, IMRT radiation, Seed Implantation, Brachytherapy, Proton Therapy, Prostate Pathologists and Prostate Medical Oncologists) from around the world. This panel of experts was assembled to participate in a meta-analysis, or “study of studies”, to try and answer a very important question:

What prostate cancer treatments are most effective at eliminating localized cancer, and preventing it from coming back?
The results of this study were initially published in 2012, and have since been updated twice per year. These results are used to generate the interactive charts on this web site.
The group continues to comprehensively review all modern published medical studies regarding prostate cancer treatment outcomes, and to update these results. It is the purpose of the Foundation to share this information in ways that are understandable to all interested parties.
The study group, to date, has reviewed more than 31,000 articles published from 2000-2014 from all available respected journals. From these articles, 1,188 featured treatment results. Of those, 242 articles tracking 83,565 patients were identified as meeting the selection criteria for treatment results. The expert panel agreed unanimously on simple but strict criteria regarding which articles could be used to compare results.

For Patients
What is the best prostate cancer treatment
Because you are reading this page, it is likely that you, or someone you care about has recently received a prostate cancer diagnosis. When facing a diagnosis, there are a lot of things to consider, including treatment methods, side-effects, recovery time, and what provider to use. Even no treatment is an option for some patients. The topics of PSA (prostate specific antigen) results and Gleason Scores are probably already a part of your growing vocabulary. The good news is that prostate cancer survival is very good for almost all patients.

But one question is primary, and much harder to answer: How do I achieve the best possible prostate cancer control?
The focus of the Prostate Cancer Results Study Group is to scan the world’s published literature for information related to prostate cancer treatment results, gather those results together and make it easy for you to compare the various treatment outcomes, and cancer control results in order to find the best prostate cancer treatment for you. In the following pages, you will learn about the comprehensive work performed by the PCRSG and about the various treatments suitable to you. To date, the group has included studies tracking the cancer-control results of 83,565 patients. You will see graphical representations of the various cancer-control outcomes pertinent to you.

Treatment Success
Key to understanding treatment success is to understand how success is measured. The experts of the PCRSG all agreed that treatment success is best described, not in terms of survival, but as “% PSA Progression Free” *, that is, the percentage of patients that were free of an increase in PSA levels at various times after initial treatment, indicating that the cancer did not recur.

Comparing treatments of Similar Patients
The next step is to find and compare the results of treatments for patients like you. We will first help you find your risk group and then you can use the study information to compare results of treatments for patients similar to you. Please see more information: A discussion about why we use risk groups

Proceed to the Three Step Process page
Sign up today for our patient newsletter!
* %PSA Progression Free is defined as the percentage of patients that have not had a progression in their cancer based on PSA evidence. The experts at the PCRSG agreed unanimously that this measurement was the most sensitive way to accurately define the efficacy of the treatment in completely eradicating disease.

For Medical Professionals
Medical-Professionals
How can I stay on top of the latest prostate cancer control rates?
The Prostate Cancer Results study Group scans the literature monthly for treatment-related articles. Articles which meet the expert panel criteria are included in the data analysis and charts. The PCRSG charts portraying the latest comparative results are updated every six months and sent to you to use for presentation to patients, tumor board and talks. You can also use the interactive charts on this website.
The foundation provides material that can be excerpted and included in peer presentations.

Where does my experience fit in?
Please submit your published paper to us for inclusion in the study group analysis. If your paper meets the PCRSG criteria, your results will be included in the updated charts and subsequent papers. Please contact us directly at the email address below for more information about how you can use the study group results, or to get more detail about the study group, the acceptance criteria, or the methodologies used in the analysis.
For Policy Makers
US Capitol Building

What policies will yield the best results?
Survival is important, of course.
But when localized prostate cancer treatment fails, and the cancer comes back, the cost of advanced treatment rises drastically. Our research provides an unbiased framework for comparing treatment outcomes and understanding the financial implications of treatment success and failure.
For those that are responsible for allocating resources, the work of the Prostate Cancer Treatment Research Foundation can help provide clarity and focus, and aid in the understanding of how localized treatment success translates into lower total cost of treatment.
Please contact us directly for more information about how you can use the study results, in detailed or summary form, or to learn more about the methodologies used in the analysis.

http://www.pctrf.org/