Partnership to fight prostate cancer

Two key players in the fight against prostate cancer — ANZUP Cancer Trials Group (ANZUP) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) — have announced that they will work together to fund and implement vital clinical trials into the disease.

ANZUP is said to be the leading collaborative trials group for urogenital and prostate cancer in Australia and New Zealand, while the PCFA is the peak national body for prostate cancer. The two bodies have worked closely for many years, according to ANZUP CEO Margaret McJannett, who said a formal partnership is “the logical next step for clinical trials in prostate cancer”.

The groups have agreed to improve access to clinical trials and have pledged to work together to raise $1.5 million over the next three years to fund trials. As noted by McJannett, “Clinical trials are the gold standard for developing new cancer treatments and showing which treatments are the safest and most effective.

“Trials independent of drug companies are particularly valuable, as they focus only on patient benefit with no commercial stake,” she continued.

“For Australia’s peak prostate cancer charity to team up with the leading independent provider of clinical trials in Australia and New Zealand opens up a range of opportunities in clinical research.”