Movember is an annual event that challenges men to grow moustaches during the month of November in order to raise awareness for men’s health issues. The three areas the charity focuses on are prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention. By bringing attention to men’s health, the movement hopes to increase early detection and regular screening to reduce the number of preventable deaths. Additionally, the event empowers men to become aware of any family history of cancer and live a healthier lifestyle.
Did you know Movember started in 2003, with only 30 men who decided to grow their mustaches for 30 days? It has since grown to over 6 million participants and has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world. As of 2020, Movember was in 20 different countries and raised $99.5 million for men’s health initiatives.
Some of the projects for prostate cancer that are funded through Movember include establishing international population-based registries to better understand clinical outcomes for prostate cancer patients, sponsoring clinical scientist awards to establish independent researchers as experts in the field, funding research alliances to help biomedical research be translated into clinical practice, as well as many other.
OUR STUDIES ON PROSTATE AND PENIS CANCER
EXCAAPE (prostate): This trial is investigating whether treatment with Radium-223 (radiopharmaceutical) could be a beneficial treatment for patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and have had progressed with being treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide. Additionally, the study is looking to determine if there is a correlation between AR-V7 (biomarker for resistance to androgen receptor axis-targeted therapies) status and radium-223 activity.
ZZFIRST (prostate): This trial is evaluating the benefit and overall safety of the drug talazoparib (a PARP inhibitor that causes tumor cell DNA damage, decreases tumor cell reproduction, and results in tumor cell death) given in combination with enzalutamide in patients with metastatic hormone-naïve prostate cancer.
ORPHEUS (penis): This trial is determining the benefit of retifanlimab (a drug targeting the immune system) in advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma.
This year, MEDSIR is spreading the Movember awareness through an Instagram filter. Join us by using it and let the world know your support of men's health! Whether you use our filter or grow a real mustache, tag us so we can share them all at the end of the month!
