PHEN Celebrates Ten Years!

This year PHEN is celebrating its Ten Year Anniversary! We have been on an exciting and productive journey during our first decade while paving a road for the future.

Over Ten Years of outstanding work in the Fight Against Prostate Cancer

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000 and founded PHEN in 2003 to increase awareness and knowledge about prostate cancer within Black America which suffers an alarming 140% higher death rate than for all other men. There is a widespread void of knowledge and actions needed to address this deadly crisis.

PHEN’S first ten years has been dedicated to mobilizing a series of national initiatives aimed at filling this void. These initiatives are achieving impressive results and PHEN is now widely recognized as a leader in prostate cancer patient education and advocacy efforts. We celebrate PHEN’s accomplishments with a great sense of progress and excitement, and with a strong foundation of enduring and proven initiatives on which to enhance and expand our efforts for the work that still lies ahead.

PHEN Milestones and Initiatives (Click to Read) 

My sincerest appreciations to the many that supported PHEN, making our first decade possible and successful. Throughout 2013 PHEN will celebrate its ten year anniversary with ACTIONS as we continue executing our initiatives, collectively known as the “Rally Against Prostate Cancer.”

I invite you to celebrate with us by joining our rally and continuing your support of PHEN to help shape a future for all men absent prostate cancer.

Yours truly,

Thomas A. Farrington

Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials – A New Day for Patients

Today prostate cancer patients with advanced disease have three relative new treatments available that improve overall survival. Provenge, Zytiga and Xtandi have all been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the past two years. These treatments represent significant progress for patients who for years had only chemotherapy to rely upon following hormone therapy. But the good news does not stop here.

There are an increasing number of clinical trials using these “FDA approved” treatments. Importantly, these clinical trials are not experimental and seeking to prove the effectiveness and safety for these treatments. Effectiveness and safety were determined for each as part of the FDA approval process. Instead many of these trials are studies to better understand the treatments’ level of effectiveness relative to parameters such as stages of disease, genetic factors, in combination with other treatments, etc.

In most instances men participating in these trials are able to receive treatment with these expensive drugs for no cost and no increased risk. Clinical trials using these new treatments represent a new day for prostate cancer patients, especially for those that cannot afford these treatments.

It is important for African American men, who are at a higher risk for needing treatment for advanced disease, to participate in these trials to help better understand how these treatments can impact on eliminating the prostate cancer epidemic that we now suffer. Also, in some cases these trials will remove the access barrier that some men face.

PHEN will continue to highlight and focus on important clinical trials to insure that the men most impacted by prostate cancer are knowledgeable and have the opportunity to participate in this exciting new day for patients.

Remember, knowledge is the best defense against prostate cancer.

Farrington Radio Interview with Dr. Luke Nordquist

Thomas A. Farrington, PHEN President and Founder, discusses the Impact of Prostate Cancer and PHEN’s efforts to increase knowledge about the disease, with Dr. Luke Nordquist, Urology Cancer Center, Omaha, NE, on the Radio Show “Cancer Opinions with Dr. Luke.”

               Prostate Cancer and the Impact on African American Men with Thomas A. Farrington

Dr. Luke Nordquist and Thomas A. Farrington - Click to Listen to Interview