The George Washington University Medical Center (GWUMC) is the leader of one of the four prostate cancer resource consortia sponsored by the National Cancer Society of the United States

The consortia's work may have worldwide implications for the treatment of this very common and often deadly cancer, says GW's Jan Orenstein, MD, PhD, professor of Pathology. The national Cooperative Prostate Cancer Tissue Resource (CPCTR) includes: GWUMC, New York University , University of Pitts-burgh and University of Illinois at Chicago . Participating in the GWUMC consortium are Howard University , University of Pennsylvania and The Virginia Urologic Group of Richmond , Virginia .

Dr. Orenstein says the CPCTR is putting together a clinical, pathological and demographic database on information gleaned from more than 6,800 patients who have either had their prostates removed due to cancer or have had prostate biopsies in search of prostate cancer. The scientists and researchers at the four CPCTR sites are also collecting prostate cancer tissue specimens that will be used by worthy prostate cancer specialists worldwide. These researchers are studying the natural history of prostate cancer and how best to diagnose and treat prostate cancer.