Prostate Cancer Demonstration Program (PCDP)
Conducted by Cancer Prevention and Control’s PCDP Working Group
What is it?
It is an integrated set of research and service projects that improve the outcomes of prostate cancer in Maryland, especially Baltimore City. The targeted cancers identified by the State include lung, colorectal, breast, prostate, melanoma, oral and cervical cancers. In the first year of this program, one of the Cancer Demonstration Projects is in Prostate Cancer. This Prostate Cancer Early Detection and Treatment was developed to draw together a multidisciplinary team of basic and clinical researchers, cancer epidemiologists and behavioral scientists who create a comprehensive model to address this major cause of cancer death in African-Americans in Baltimore City and Maryland. Drs. Abeloff and Groopman have designated Drs. Nelson and Platz to lead the development of the plans for this project. Dr. Nelson is a medical oncologist who also specializes in the molecular biology of prostate cancer and Dr. Platz is a cancer epidemiologist focused upon prostate cancer. The demonstration project in prostate cancer epidemiology, early detection and intervention is conducted under the guidance of the goals of the surveillance and epidemiology component of this grant. Prostate cancer appears to be the driving force behind the very high rate of cancer among African-American men in Baltimore City; however, the range of this disease varies greatly across the state. Thus, this disease will be used as the initial attempt to integrate the Maryland Cancer Registry data, nutritional/behavioral questionnaire data, exposure assessment information, underlying genetic susceptibility genes, including the newly discovered heritable prostate cancer risk gene, early detection methods and the delivery of care in selected high- and low-risk groups across the state. This demonstration project utilizes the extensive research and clinical expertise at Johns Hopkins as well as integrates into the ongoing efforts of the prostate cancer focused SPORE grant. This translation effort will have direct application to other major cancers in Maryland including lung, colon and breast. The effort outlined in the cancer research plan will be coordinated with the ongoing efforts of the Public Health plan that involves the collaboration with the University of Maryland in cooperation with the Baltimore City Health Department. Finally, targeted funding directed towards the early detection of lung cancer will also be initiated to facilitate the translation of the early detection of cancer research efforts into population-based studies. The steering committee has been charged with developing a strategic plan for these population-based efforts and this plan will be developed over the first six months of the funded grant.
What are its goals?
- Conduct a literature review and institutional search of relevant investigations, which provides a report of state-of-the-art, prostate cancer screening (Mink)
- Summarize the epidemiology of prostate cancer in Maryland, the JHCCC, and in Baltimore underserved men (monograph) Develop a conceptual model necessary steps in development, testing and launch of an effective public health screening program (Platz, Plowden, and Kanarek)
- Develop a comprehensive questionnaire for project use which encompasses risk behaviors, exposures, screening, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes, and gene profiles (Platz and others)
- Develop a cohort for the study of prostate cancer (and other outcomes)
- Launch an integrated service and research program in prostate cancer screening
What will we do?
- Enlist an NCI Fellow to assist with guiding and developing the demonstration project
- Form a working group of prostate cancer investigators with broad JHMI representation
- Obtain population-based prostate cancer data (MCR/VS/BRFSS)
- Launch a state-of-the-art prostate cancer-screening project in Baltimore City
- Solicit proposal(s) to the CRF to fill the gaps in knowledge, provide pilot data where needed, or to test feasibility of launch-specific activities, exemplified by these three projects:
Project 1: Develop a conceptual approach, which integrates research with practice areas funded by the CRF Public Health Grant. This is a conceptual model for the stops necessary in the development, testing and launching of an effective public health screening program for prostate cancer.
Project 2: Design an ecologic study of environmental, dietary/lifestyle and behavioral factors in Baltimore City that entails a population-based survey of the population and municipal employees, especially firemen, garbage workers, and police about environmentally hazardous situations and potential individual exposures and etiologies. This is a study of environmental, dietary/lifestyle and behavioral factors in Baltimore City.
Project 3: Develop a plan for establishing a cohort of men screened for prostate cancer, which includes infrastructure preparation, initial case-control study hypotheses, and a plan for a prevention trial. This is a Population resource for etiologic, behavioral, and intervention studies.
Faculty with interests in prostate cancer:
Chris Berg (Suburban Hospital)
Shyam Biswal
Janice Bowie
Arthur Burnett
H. Ballantine Carter
Donald Coffey
Barbara Curbow
Adrian Dobbs
Lars Ellison (RWJ Scholar)
T. Glass
John Groopman
Kathy Helzlsouer
Mollie Howerton
Michel Ibrahim (UNC/JHU)
La Creis Renee Kidd (NCI)
Ann Klassen
Tom Laveist
Pamela Mink (NCI)
Bill Nelson
Giovanni Parmigiani
Allen Partin
Elizabeth Platz
Keith Plowden (UMSN)
Bruce Trock
Yin Yao |
