Association urges Congress to establish inter-agency task force to align current federal efforts in prostate cancer research, awareness and healthcare delivery.

The American Urological Association (AUA) has announced its support for the Prostate Research, Outreach, Screening, Testing, Access and Treatment Effectiveness (PROSTATE) Act of 2011, H.R. 2159, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on June the 14^th this year.

It was introduced by Representatives Edolphus Towns and Paul Broun, MD.

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men. This form of cancer is subject to racial disparities with increased incidence in African American men who are also more likely to die from it.

In the USA, a huge amount of national resources are focused on prostate cancer, but federal agencies need to determine to what extent they can coordinate the various healthcare programs, find out ways to translate research into practice besides identifying and implementing best practices.

The PROSTATE Act can help to bring about a more integrated and coordinated focus on effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

The highlights of this budget-neutral bill include:

• Establish an Interagency Prostate Cancer Coordination and Education Task Force

• Develop a strategy to improve the research

• Eliminate duplication between agencies

• Identify best practices; expand collaboration; increase patient and medical community participation

• Develop a coordinated message related to awareness of and treatment for prostate cancer  

• Coordinate and intensify research on prostate cancer, improve the understanding of the etiology of the disease; establish clinical registries; and evaluate appropriate imaging modalities

• Establish a grant program to build upon existing knowledge

• Recognize and address the racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer

• Establish four-year, tele-health pilot projects in a various geographic areas

• Develop a coordinated national education campaign to align messages to the public concerning prostate cancer screening, diagnosis and cancer.

This bill is expected to gather a much-needed attention on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this common cancer exclusive to males.

Source-Medindia