This year alone in Quebec, 4,600 men will learn that they have prostate cancer, and about 880 of them will die. Despite advances in research and the discovery of some risk factors, including age, race, family history and probably lifestyle, it remains unclear which one of these factors is most prevalent. Prostate cancer affects one in seven men.

We also cannot explain why this disease is so aggressive, or how it develops. It can be said that the situation with regard to prostate cancer is similar to that of breast cancer in women.

The causes of prostate cancer remain unknown. While the lack of adequate tools and equipment slows progress, hopes are raised by some spectacular advances in the field of biotechnology. The discovery of the human genome is a huge step forward. Dramatic developments are expected in the understanding of basic biological processes, opening up completely new horizons, especially in oncology. However, such prospects, at least for prostate cancer, will not be fruitful without prospective research being conducted according to standardized procedures on large numbers of men who are at risk or already affected by this disease.

In 2005 PROCURE, the only Quebec-based non-profit organization wholly dedicated to combatting prostate cancer, decided it was time to act and adopted a very ambitious research tool: the PROCURE Biobank for prostate cancer in Quebec.

Quebec is a perfect place to implement such a project because of the genetic traits of its native population and its ethnic diversity. In addition, the relative stability of Quebec’s population means that the project participants can be monitored over a long period. Finally, our province’s long tradition of collaboration and excellence in research guarantees our ability to establish and run a world class biobank.