PROMISE: A Clinical Trial of Inherited Genetic Factors Impact on Prostate Cancer Risk and Treatment Involving Free Genetic Testing.

It is known that prostate cancer may be written in some men’s genes, but so are instructions for discovering new treatments and understanding family risk. If we want to better understand prostate cancer, we have to better understand genes. That’s why the genetic information of prostate cancer patients is so important. This information is the next step in the collective fight against the disease. Yet, while 1 in 9 men will get prostate cancer and more than 4 million American men are currently living with the disease, genetic information is only beginning to be used for prostate cancer.

The PROMISE study is being launched to change all that. PROMISE seeks to learn more about the role genes can play in improving outcomes and/or treatments for prostate cancer patients. It will help understand how prostate cancer care can be tailored precisely based on a patient’s unique genetic profile. This means better information, testing and choices for you and others like you.

PROMISE research will examine how information about particular genetic profiles can:

a) Influence the susceptibility of men to prostate cancer;
b) Impact the effectiveness of existing treatments;
c) Improve guidance for different and/or new treatment options; and,
d) Suggest precise areas to explore for new discoveries.

How PROMISE works
PROMISE is completely free. Patients continue with their current provider and don’t even need to leave home to participate. Register online and we’ll send a simple, home-based DNA test kit. Just provide a saliva sample and return it via prepaid U.S. mail. The kit will screen for one of 30 cancer risk genes. We’ll send you the results and will provide a licensed genetic counselor to help you understand your results. You will learn if you have any gene mutations that might affect your care plan. The results may inform you of available treatment options and previously unknown risks of family members developing cancer. PROMISE will also create a new mechanism to communicate with prostate cancer patients on an ongoing basis to help connect them with new trials and treatments as relevant clinical trials are opened and approved for prostate cancer.

Benefits of joining the PROMISE study
Prostate cancer patients who join PROMISE will:

Receive free genetic testing and counseling that will help you learn important new information about genetic factors in your cancer and discover if you have a critical gene mutation that may impact your care plan.
Receive the most current information about new research, clinical trial opportunities, and treatments approved by the FDA. This information is sent via regular newsletters and updates.
Help family members understand their own risk of cancer and risk for future generations.
Make an important contribution to advancing research & understanding of prostate cancer by providing essential genetic information and long-term outcomes that are not available anywhere else.
Learn more
PROMISE is supported by a group of mission-driven nonprofit organizations. No pharmaceutical firms or any commercial interests are supporting this research. Participation is free and easy. Patients remain under the care of their current doctor. Patient’s don’t even need to leave home. Measures are in place to ensure safety, privacy and security.

Talk with your doctor about PROMISE and visit prostatecancerPROMISE.org. You can help win the fight against prostate cancer.

This information came from Zero-the Project to End Prostate Cancer