Our Interview with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Part 2

Below is Part 2 of our interview with Dan Zenka, Vice President of Communications at the Prostate Cancer Foundation

If someone wants to get involved and help - what would you suggest?
• One way to become involved is to become an Athlete for a Cure (www.athletesforacure.org) to fundraise and participate in sporting events.
• Make a donation online to advance research at www.pcf.org and click Take Action/General Donation.
• Support annual events such as PCF’s Home Run Challenge, every June, and Movember, each November. (Home Run Challenge: http://www.pcf.org/site/c.leJRIROrEpH/b.5822011/k.BB01/Home_Run_Challenge.htm. Movember: http://www.pcf.org/site/c.leJRIROrEpH/b.5822021/k.D891/Movember.htm).
• Stay tuned for Community for a Cure – a PCF program that allows any individual or group to fundraise on behalf of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

In your experience, what have you found to be a major misconception about Prostate Cancer?
• Prostate cancer is not just an old man’s disease—men in their 30s and 40 are diagnosed with the disease. Early detection and treatment are crucial and can provide a 5-year survival rate of more than 95%
• There are 24 known types of prostate cancer; some are very aggressive, others are not. Not all prostate cancer patients require aggressive treatment. Some are viable candidates for active surveillance.

Is there anything else that you feel people should know about PCF and prostate cancer?
• PCF’s model of venture philanthropy has changed the landscape for funding scientific research; cash in, cash out rapidly to support research (no endowment)
• Programs such as Young Investigators and Creativity Awards support groundbreaking, out of the box ideas and help accelerate discovery
• Review grant applications and make award decisions within 60 days—fund them in no more than 90 days.
• Require sharing of findings with scientific community to “fast forward” collaboration and further discovery (PCF Annual Scientific Retreat).
• More breakthroughs have been made in PCa research in the past year than in the last decade.