Great Prostate Cancer Challenge :: Baltimore

About the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge^®

How Did the Challenge Begin?

Chesapeake Urology Associates (CUA), one of the largest urology practice groups in the nation and located in the greater Baltimore area, established early on its commitment to support and give back to the community.

In 2007, Chesapeake urologist Dr. Sean Van Zijl, suggested to Dr. Sanford Siegel, President and CEO of Chesapeake Urology, that the practice create an event solely focused on prostate cancer as a way to uphold that value. The goal was to increase awareness, provide free screening opportunities for men in need, and raise money for prostate cancer research. Dr Siegel announced a new event focused on men and prostate cancer, and to be held in September during National Prostate Cancer Health Month, during a well-attended press conference.

The Great Strides Against Prostate Cancer 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk that was created turned out to be the most successful first-time event of its kind in Maryland, with more than 1,100 participants and over $135,000 raised. The first beneficiary for the funds raised through the event was the American Urological Association (AUA). Former NFL great and Hall of Famer Lenny Moore became the Honorary Chairman of the GPCC, and remains in that role today, and WJZ-TV and Radio One stepped up as media partners, giving the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge^® a big boost in awareness.

The GPCC is the only physician-based prostate cancer awareness and fund-raising program in the country.

The vision grew. The Second Annual Great Prostate Cancer Challenge^® 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk was held in 2008 with a new name, The Great Prostate Cancer Challenge^®, and even greater enthusiasm! Over $200,000 was raised. An exciting benefit concert starring the great Patti LaBelle was added to increase awareness of prostate cancer, and free prostate cancer screenings were offered in partnership with eight of the leading African-American churches in Baltimore. The Governor of Maryland proclaimed September as Prostate Cancer Awareness month in the State (and again made that proclamation in 2009). That year, the GPCC came very close to reaching its goal to screen more than 1,000 men who might ordinarily not have a prostate exam and PSA test.

Success Spread Quickly and a New Partner and Beneficiary Came on Board!
Success was contagious! In 2008, four other urology groups joined the GPCC to create awareness and raise funds for prostate cancer research through their highly successful 5K Run events:

Harrisburg, PA
Indianapolis, IN
Nashville, TN
Richmond, VA

In 2009, a new partner and beneficiary, ZERO-The Project to End Prostate Cancer, joined forces with the GPCC in its effort to help save lives through screening, awareness and advocacy, and funds for prostate cancer research. Since joining forces with ZERO, the GPCC in Baltimore has continued to host the 5K/1 Mile Fun Walk and has raised over one million dollars for prostate cancer awareness, research and screenings. To date, more than 3,500 men have taken advantage of the free prostate cancer screenings. With support through funds raised, the screenings will continue in 2012.

2012 Will Be a Banner Year!
In Baltimore, the date for the 2012 GPCC 5K Run & 1 Mile Fun Walk is Sunday, September 9. The GPCC free prostate cancer screening program will continue to help men in need.

Over the past five years, the GPCC has grown to include more than 30 cities with over 15,000 participants. The following cities will host GPCC races in 2011:

Albuquerque, NM
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Baltimore, MD
Birmingham, AL
Buffalo, NY
Central FL
Charlotte, NC
Cincinnati, OH
Columbus, OH
Dallas, TX
Detroit, MI
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fort Myers, FL
Fort Wayne, IN
Harrisburg, PA
Indianapolis, IN
Kansas City, KS
Knoxville, TN
Lancaster, PA
Los Angeles, CA
Memphis, TN
Nashville, TN
Oklahoma City, OK
Rochester, NY
St. Cloud, MN
Shreveport, LA
Tucson, AZ
Twin Cities, MN
Washington, DC

Where Does the Money Go?
American Urological Association Foundation
Funds raised through the GPCC program in 2007 and 2008 were provided to the AUA to support the AUA Foundation/CUA Research Scholar Program, as described below. And in 2008, partial funds were used to support the eight church screening events.

ZERO - The Project to End Prostate Cancer
The contributions that were raised in 2009 went to the AUA Foundation, and to ZERO - The Project to End Prostate Cancer. ZERO's mission to end prostate cancer is unparalleled -- more than 82 cents on every dollar goes to programs.

ZERO uses contributions to provide comprehensive treatment information to patients, education and free screenings to those at risk. They fund research to discover a better test for the disease and our efforts to increase research funds from the federal government to find new treatments.

Summary - The AUA Foundation
The 2008 AUA Foundation/CUA Research Scholar Program
2008/09 Scholar: Sinichi Skamoto, M.D., PhD
Research: The Role of Talin in Prostate Cancer

About the 2008/2009 AUA/CUA Research Scholar
Dr. Skamoto earned both his MD and PhD from Chiba University in Japan. He has earned a Young Investigator Award from the Japan Urolithiasis Society and a Best Research Award from the Society of Molecular Nephrology of Japan.

Dr. Sakamoto's research proposal is titled, "The Role of Talin in Prostate Cancer." Talin is an actin-binding protein that functions as scaffolding , interacting with integrins and connecting them to the cytoskeleton. Dr. Sakamoto's research will investigate the contribution of talin as a mediator of filament membrane interactions and how it contributes to the progression of prostate cancer. Several past scholars have made extraordinary contributions to the field of urology. Their work has significantly advanced the field and allowed for better surgical and treatment technology and patient care. With more support, the AUA Foundation will continue funding innovative research scholars.

Past AUA Foundation Research Scholars Who Contributed Significantly to Prostate Research
The following scholars have made critical contributions to the field of prostate research:

James Mohler, MD, a 1985 scholar, is currently the chair of the Department of Urologic Oncology, leader of the Prostate Program and professor of oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. He is also a professor for the Department of Urology at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Dr. Mohler has done seminal work on the role of the androgen receptor in the regulation of prostate cancer. This work has caused researchers to re-evaluate previous theories on advanced prostate cancer. Additionally, Dr. Mohler is the recipient of a major ($14 M) DOD Consortium award titled, "Racial Differences in Prostate Cancer: Influence of Health Care and Cost and Tumor Biology." This effort addresses a critical issue in prostate cancer and is likely to be the definitive study on prostate cancer health disparity.

William Steers, MD, a 1988 scholar, is currently the Hovey Dabney Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology at the University of Virginia Health System and editor of The Journal of Urology . He was the 1994 recipient of the AUA Gold Cystoscope and the Dornier Innovative Research Award. With more than 200 publications and two patents, Dr. Steers's diverse clinical interests span a variety of urologic diseases and conditions, including urinary incontinence, benign prostatic hyperplasia, erectile dysfunction, neurogenic bladder and robotic surgery. Dr. Steers is the director of the George M. O'Brien Urology Research Center at the University of Virginia School of Medicine; he is one of only two urologists in the United States to head one of these specialized, NIDDK-funded centers. He is a past recipient of the AUA Foundation Distinguished Former Scholar Award.

Mark Litwin, MD, a 1993 scholar, is currently a professor in the UCLA Schools of Medicine (Urology) and Public Health (Health Services). He holds the only such joint faculty appointment in the US. He received the prestigious Gold Cystoscope Award from the AUA in 2001 in recognition of his distinguished and outstanding contributions to the profession of urology. Dr. Litwin published the first validated instrument to assess disease-targeted health-related quality of life in men treated for prostate cancer: the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index. The Index is now in use in more than 200 studies throughout North America and has been translated into three languages. Dr. Litwin is also the principal investigator of a multi-million dollar project grant funded by NIDDK to develop a comprehensive resource of the illness burden and resource use associated with urologic diseases. The resulting compendium, "Urologic Diseases in America," was first released in 2004 and has become the authoritative reference on urologic diseases.

Wade Bushman, MD, PhD, a 1994 scholar, is currently the Robert F. and Dolores K. Schnoes Chair in Urologic Research and vice chair for research at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Bushman is the director and principal investigator at the George M. O'Brien Urology Research Center at the University of Wisconsin. He is one of only two urologists in the United States to head one of these specialized, NIDDK-funded centers. He is a past recipient of the AUA Foundation Distinguished Former Scholar Award and is currently a member of the AUA Foundation Research Council.

Joel Nelson, MD, a 1994 scholar, is currently the Frederic N. Schwentker Professor and chairman of the Department of Urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and co-director of the Prostate and Urologic Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Dr. Nelson is credited with first discovering the role of endothelin in prostate cancer progression.

Natasha Kyprianou, PhD, a 1994 scholar, is currently the James F. Hardymon Chair of Urology Research at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She completed fellowships in urologic oncology at Johns Hopkins University and in molecular biology at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London, UK. Her research interests focus on the deregulation of apoptosis and growth factor signaling pathways in benign and malignant prostate, molecular therapeutics (apoptosis-targeting) for hormone refractory prostate tumors, and development of novel biomarkers of prostate and bladder cancer progression. Dr. Kyprianou serves as a member of two grant review panels at the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK, NCI) and the American Urological Association (AUA) Foundation. She is also a member of the Integration Panel (Advisory Board) for the Congressionally Directed Prostate Cancer Research Programs in the Department of Defense. She is a past-president of the Society for Basic Urologic Research and currently an associate editor for Cancer Research, British Journal of Pharmacology, The Prostate and AUA News. Dr. Kyprianou received the AUA Foundation's 2008 Distinguished Mentor Award.

Stephen J. Freedland, MD, a 2004 scholar, is a surgeon-scientist at Duke Medical Center, and Director of Translational and Outcomes Research for urology. Dr. Freedland's current research focuses on the association between obesity and aggressive prostate cancer, and on understanding the role that a diet low in carbohydrates may have in slowing the growth of prostate tumors. Dr. Freedland received a $700,000 career development type award, the Physician Research Training Grant, from the DOD Prostate Cancer Research Program and is the co-PI of a $1.5 million Prostate Cancer Foundation award for cancer survivorship including nutritional clinical trials. Dr. Freedland has also received a five-year AUA Foundation/Astellas Rising Star in Urology Award in 2005.