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1st
appeared 22 December 1998
Patient Profile:
How "Raising Hope" Funds Might Advance Prostate Cancer Research
John Steinberg, an appellate lawyer in Berkeley, considers himself to be one of the
healthiest people he knows. So when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer fifteen months
ago at the age of 46 -- much younger than the average man who gets the disease -- he was
shocked.
Because he felt so healthy, Steinberg didn't bother to have a physical for eight years.
But in 1993, when former junk bond king Michael Milken was diagnosed with prostate cancer
at an early age, Steinberg realized that he too could be at risk for the disease and
decided to pay a visit to his primary care physician.
"When I first went to my doctor, he asked me, 'Why are you here?'" Steinberg
said. "But then it turned out that I had an elevated PSA (prostate specific antigen)
level, so I suspected that I might have something wrong with my prostate."
 Andrea Bocelli, the Grammy
award-winning opera singer and popular musician, will perform at the second "Raising
Hope" Gala Benefit hosted by the UCSF Foundation to benefit the UCSF Cancer Center on
Wednesday, January 13, 1999 at Davies Symphony Hall. See full story
for details.
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A PSA test is a common blood test used
to detect prostate cancer. If a man's PSA level is higher than the normal range, a doctor
usually recommends that he have a biopsy to determine if he has cancer of the prostate.
Three biopsies later, Steinberg's doctor still hadn't found anything seriously wrong with
his prostate. But Steinberg was still concerned, so his doctor suggested that he visit the
world-renowned prostate cancer experts at UCSF.
"Based on a past sonogram I had, my doctor at UCSF saw suspicious areas that other
doctors had missed and told me that I had a 50 percent chance of having prostate
cancer," Steinberg said. "I was extremely fortunate to have had access to the
best urologic oncology surgeons and physicians in the country."
The UCSF Cancer Center and Urologic Oncology program, part of UCSF Stanford Health Care,
are unique compared to other facilities in the country because they practice a
multidisciplinary approach to treating each individual patient as well as emphasize
translational research. Members of the Urologic Oncology program include faculty from the
Departments of Urology, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, and the Division of Medical
Oncology. Clinicians and laboratory scientists are collaborating to better understand the
genetic mechanisms underlying urologic cancer induction and progression to provide
patients with the most effective treatments for the disease, including novel therapeutic
methods.
For instance, one focus of current research at the UCSF Urologic Oncology program is the
molecular pathology of prostate cancer-induced angiogenesis, which is the formation of new
blood vessels that tumors need in order to grow. Researchers are also investigating a
prostate estrogen receptor called ER-beta, with the goal of defining its role in the
development of prostate cancer and as a possible target for treatment. Novel magnetic
imaging technology for evaluating and diagnosing prostate cancer is also being developed
at UCSF.
In addition, UCSF Urologic Oncology researchers and physicians are leading over 20
clinical trials. The knowledge gained in clinical research translates directly into
improved patient care and hopes for the future. In 1997, 91 UCSF prostate cancer patients
were enrolled in national trials, and 69 in local clinical trials.
Statewide, the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 18,860 new prostate
cancer cases in 1999. In San Francisco alone, 630 men are expected to be diagnosed with
the disease. In 1997, the UCSF Urologic Oncology program treated a total of 548 new
prostate cancer patients, up from 489 in 1996.
"UCSF brings together the best researchers and physicians to provide the expanding
patient population with timely, compassionate and innovative care incorporating existing
and new treatment methods," said Peter Carroll, professor and chair of the UCSF
Urology Department, who was Steinberg's surgeon.
Steinberg said that in the medical community, there is a strong debate about which
treatment is more effective for treating prostate cancer -- radiation therapy or surgery
-- because there is insufficient research about the effects of these treatments on younger
patients. But for a man Steinberg's age, most of the doctors he talked to recommended that
he have his prostate completely removed through surgery.
"Dr. Carroll and another doctor at Stanford told me that having surgery was the best
option for someone in my age group because the cancer was still confined to the
prostate," Steinberg said. "But it was a very hard decision to make because
there is a lack of research about the medical outcomes for men my age with prostate
cancer."
Steinberg said that there needs to be greater emphasis on PSA testing in men under 50 and
a greater awareness of prostate cancer prevention.
A study by the National Prostate Cancer Coalition found that in 1997 alone, more than $250
million in worthwhile prostate cancer research could not be conducted due to a lack of
financial resources. In 1997, roughly $1700 was spent on prostate cancer research per
death from the disease. This effort lags significantly behind funding for other illnesses
such as breast cancer in which nearly $12,800 per death was spent on research. During the
past decade, the US spent $2 trillion on defense and $73 billion on the space program.
Only $12 billion was spent on cancer research; of that, about two percent was dedicated to
prostate cancer research.
"It is shocking to me that some men don't even know what a PSA test is,"
Steinberg said, who is currently disease-free and has an undetectable PSA level. "Men
often do not take responsibility for their own health and only wait to get checked out
when something is obviously wrong. Prostate cancer is a silent killer, and if you wait
until it is already advanced, it's usually too late."
Links:
Bocelli to Perform at
"Raising Hope" Gala
UCSF Cancer Center
Source: Abby Sinnott, News
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