The Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) is a nonprofit organization devoted to helping men and their families understand prostate cancer and make informed treatment decisions.
Founded in 1996 by prostate cancer specialists Dr. Mark Scholz and Dr. Stephen Strum, PCRI provides educational videos, articles, conferences, and other resources covering virtually every stage of prostate cancer—from understanding a new diagnosis and considering active surveillance to radiation, surgery, hormone therapy, and advanced disease.
I have found PCRI's videos particularly useful because they are generally clear, measured, succinct, and focused on the questions patients actually face.
PCRI also offers a free helpline where trained facilitators help patients understand their individual situations and questions. The facilitators can consult PCRI medical advisers when necessary.
PCRI offers a free helpline for people with prostate cancer and their families. Patients can discuss their diagnosis, test results, treatment choices, and questions with trained PCRI facilitators.
The facilitators are patients or relatives of patients who have received extensive prostate cancer training from PCRI medical advisers. When appropriate, they can consult PCRI's medical team about a caller's questions.
The helpline does not replace a patient's doctors, but it can help someone understand the terminology, identify questions to ask, and better evaluate treatment choices.
PCRI has hundreds of videos. These are some that I found particularly useful for understanding the major decisions a patient may face.
PCRI explains why most newly diagnosed prostate cancers do not require an immediate treatment decision and how cancer risk and aggressiveness help determine how much time a patient can safely take to evaluate the options.
PCRI explains how PSA, Gleason score, cancer stage, imaging, and other factors are used to estimate the aggressiveness of prostate cancer and help guide treatment decisions.
PCRI explains what the Gleason score means, how it reflects the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, and why it plays such an important role in determining treatment options.
PCRI discusses how prostate cancer risk, treatment options, potential side effects, and the experience of the treating physicians can help guide the choice of care.
PCRI discusses how age, overall health, life expectancy, and the aggressiveness of the cancer can help determine whether treatment or observation is appropriate for men diagnosed after age 80.
Articles, educational materials, patient resources, and information about PCRI programs.
An extensive collection of videos covering diagnosis, active surveillance, surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, advanced prostate cancer, side effects, and new treatments.
PCRI holds conferences featuring prostate cancer specialists discussing current research, treatments, and patient questions.