September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime and about 6 in10 cases are diagnosed in men age 65 and older. In addition, prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in American men.
At GoPath Laboratories, one of our focuses is creating cutting-edge tests to diagnose and treat prostate cancer. One of our most recent developments is our GoProDx™ Prostate Cancer Prognostic Panel. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technology, we can analyze PTEN and ERG genes--critical biomarkers that are most indicative of a patient’s outcome for prostate cancer. Knowing the status of a patient’s PTEN/ERG genes can help guide treatment decisions and better predict a prognosis. Learn more about GoProDx™ here. Other diagnostic tests we offer include PCA3 and ERG (IHC).
We also offer hereditary testing for patients who have a family history of prostate cancer. Our BRCAnow® series examines not only BRCA1/2 genes for mutations, but includes up to 30 genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), as well as cancers associated with HBOC including prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer and melanoma. Learn more about BRCAnow® here.
Here are additional resources to check out to learn more about prostate cancer and current treatment trends:
Prostate Cancer Foundation: stepup.pcf.org
ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer: zerocancer.org
PCAP - The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project: thepcap.org
Prostate Cancer Awareness Foundation: prostateawarenessfoundation.org