Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men.

The goal of the M. D. Anderson SPORE in prostate cancer is to contribute in a meaningful way to the elimination of prostate cancer as a health risk.

What is SPORE?
SPORE stands for Specialized Program of Research Excellence. Funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with a $13 million grant, the program is part of a nation-wide initiative to speed the flow of promising knowledge from the laboratory to the clinic, where it will benefit patients the most. 

This SPORE will enhance M. D. Anderson's ongoing efforts to develop new, better treatments and therapies for prostate cancer, and to understand the biological basis of clinical observations. M. D. Anderson also has SPORE grants to study bladder, lung and ovarian cancer.

Our Program
We have assembled talented clinical and fundamental research scientists who are dedicated to translational (bench-to-bedside) research in prostate cancer. This SPORE consists of:

• five major research projects, which focus on multidisciplinary studies targeting advanced prostate cancer
• a career development program, which trains physicians and scientists to create research projects that lead quickly to new therapies
• a developmental research program, designed to support promising pilot studies of prostate cancer
• three "core" entities (administrative, pathology and biostatistics), which will support the research projects

By promoting new collaborations and extending existing ones with established prostate cancer SPOREs across the country, the M. D. Anderson Prostate SPORE aims to develop new and effective strategies to prevent, detect and treat prostate cancer. Our common hope is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality, improve the quality of life for cancer patients and, ultimately, to conquer this disease.