Three non-profit organizations have joined together to help prostate cancer patients better understand chemotherapy and when its right for them
Prostate cancer advocacy organizations ZERO, Us TOO International and Prostate Conditions Education Council announce the launch of an educational website specific to chemotherapy for treating prostate cancer.
It is estimated that more than 191,000 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020. While most prostate cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, prostate cancer can recur or advance after an initial treatment; and some men have an initial diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer. Once prostate cancer is advanced, it can be managed but not cured. Chemotherapy is a common treatment for managing advanced prostate cancer but not routinely considered as a treatment option at other stages of the disease.
The prostate cancer chemotherapy website provides objective, balanced information about how chemotherapy works and when it should be considered as a treatment option. It addresses using chemotherapy in combination with other treatments and the potential for sequencing it in a treatment regimen. Along with the benefits of chemotherapy, probable treatment side effects are outlined as well as information for managing side effects.
“The purpose of the website is to provide an enduring educational platform on prostate cancer chemotherapy with current, accurate, and unbiased information,” noted Wendy Poage, President of the Prostate Conditions Education Council. “Content will help to educate patients and caregivers about how chemotherapy fits into the evolving prostate cancer disease journey. It features questions to ask your doctor and debunks some common myths about chemotherapy.”
The idea for the website was the result of a brainstorming session at an industry meeting attended by all of the participants. A discussion about current challenges for finding comprehensive information about chemotherapy for prostate cancer led to the idea of developing the website.
“Patients are finding it increasingly difficult to understand various prostate cancer treatment options throughout the disease journey,” stated Jamie Bearse, CEO of ZERO. “This website will serve as an important online destination for the prostate cancer community to find reliable facts about chemotherapy.”
A common deliverable of the three prostate cancer nonprofit organizations collaborating on this project is educational content to help men living with prostate cancer make informed treatment decisions at all phases of the disease. In addition to comprehensive educational written content and videos, the website will feature links to other resources including support groups.
“Beyond the facts and stats, it’s important to provide opportunities for men with prostate cancer to learn from each other and share their personal experiences with treatment decisions and side effect management,” said Us TOO International CEO Chuck Strand. “This website includes connections to support groups for men to exchange peer to peer information in person, online, or on a conference call.”
Collaboration on the chemotherapy prostate cancer website will extend beyond the launch to include future content updates.
The chemotherapy website can be found at any of the web addresses below:
https://www.prostateconditions.org/about-prostate-conditions/prostate-cancer/chemotherapy
https://www.ustoo.org/chemotherapy
https://zerocancer.org/learn/current-patients/types-of-treatment/chemotherapy/