PCRI Makes Vital Prostate Cancer Information Accessible to Patients and Caregivers

The Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) is a full-featured educational organization for prostate cancer patients and caregivers. Our simple yet powerful programs are designed to raise the patient’s level of understanding, empowering men to collaborate with their doctors so that they can get the best personalized care. We believe strongly in fortifying the doctor-patient relationship, and help empower people to take control of their disease through education and knowledge. All educational materials are created specifically for patients and written from an unbiased point of view.

PCRI was founded 20 years ago by two prostate cancer specialists: Mark Scholz, MD, and Stephen Strum, MD. Recognizing the tremendous lack of information available to patients, Scholz and Strum collaborated to translate medical information from peer-reviewed medical journals into a language that patients could understand and apply. Back then, information was scarce and finding it—much less understanding it—was difficult. Harry Pinchot, a patient, and the first employee of the PCRI, pored over medical journals and spent countless hours in medical libraries learning about new treatments. He began taking calls from worried patients and caregivers, sharing the information he learned, empowering them to speak with their healthcare practitioners about their situation instead of silently going along with the first recommendation they were given.

Today, our various programs are based on this simple principle—making vital information accessible to patients and explaining all of the tools and options in fair light. This helps them partner with their healthcare practitioner to develop a plan to successfully battle the disease and achieve the best outcome. To empower patients and caregivers, we enable direct interaction with leading doctors at our biannual conferences, and with experienced advocates through our Helpline. This gives patients and caregivers multiple perspectives to weigh and helps them to develop their own understanding of their case.

Our educational conferences are uniquely designed for a patient audience and feature presentations on every stage of prostate cancer. Leading doctors who specialize in prostate cancer care present practical and informative lectures and intimate Q + A breakout sessions. Experienced patient leaders conduct collaborative support groups. Educational breakout sessions and workshops that are led by medical professionals round out this educational experience. Our conferences are the embodiment of collaboration between patients, caregivers, doctors, support groups, and industry partners, all of which are essential components of comprehensive, personalized care.

Our Helpline Resource Center is a free program that provides educational articles, videos, brochures, and more. Prostate cancer questions can be answered directly by contacting our Helpline Facilitators, prostate cancer patients who are trained by our medical review board. They commonly answer questions about treatments, side effects, quality of life, clinical trials, support groups, imaging centers, and more.

Prostate Insights is our free quarterly newsletter and online blog. It helps patients stay updated with the latest treatment developments, clinical trials, and news about PCRI events. Articles are authored by leading physicians and can give patients practical information and insight into the medical world to help them become better informed. Visit our website at www.pcri.org to learn more and start your research.