Source: capwiz.com/pcacoalition/issues/bills/?bill=45899
Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
(pcaw.org) has compiled newsbytes on the prostate. Prostate Cancer
Awareness Month is September, and Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, the
period set aside for free or low-cost screenings, runs September
13-19, 2004. Information about the Prostate is added weekly.
Disclaimer
California Awards UCLA $50 Million to
Administer Statewide Prostate Cancer Treatment Program
The U.S. Senate passes SR 138, designating
September as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Designating the month of September as `National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month'.
Whereas over 1,000,000 American families live with prostate cancer;
Whereas 1 American man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime;
Whereas prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed nonskin cancer and the second most common cancer killer of American men;
Whereas 198,100 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 31,500 American men will die of prostate cancer in 2001, according to American Cancer Society estimates;
Whereas fully 1/4 of new cases of prostate cancer occur in men during their prime working years;
Whereas African Americans have the highest incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer in the world;
Whereas screening by both digit rectal examination and prostate specific antigen blood test (PSA) can diagnose the disease in earlier and more treatable stages and have reduced prostate cancer mortality;
Whereas the research pipeline promises further improvements in prostate cancer prevention, early detection, and treatments; and
Whereas educating Americans, including health care providers, about prostate cancer and early detection strategies is crucial to saving men's lives and preserving and protecting our families: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates the month of September 2001 as `National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month';
(2) declares that the Federal Government has a responsibility--(A) to raise awareness about the importance of screening methods and treatment of prostate cancer; (B) to increase research funding that is commensurate with the burden of the disease so that the causes of, and improved screening, treatments, and a cure for, prostate cancer may be discovered; and (C) to continue to consider ways for improving access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer; and
(3) requests the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States, interested groups, and affected persons to promote awareness of prostate cancer, to take an active role in the fight to end the devastating effects of prostate cancer on individuals, their families, and the economy and to observe the month of September 2001 with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
Amend the title so as to read: `Resolution designating the month
of September 2001 as `National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month'.
Source: capwiz.com/pcacoalition/issues/bills/?bill=45899
Prostate Cancer Awareness Stamp Taken Off
the Market
Here's the latest information on sales of the Breast Cancer
Research semipostal stamp. As of June 15, 2001, the U.S Postal
Service sold 305 million of the stamps (40 cents each for a total
gross revenue of $122 million), raising $21 million for research. 415
million total stamps have been printed. The stamp was first issued on
July 29, 1998.
Source: Don Smeraldi, U.S. Postal Service,
202.268.6524
Prostate Cancer Research Institute Alert:
Another Important Research Project May Fail If Men Don't Show Up
It will fail because of lack of patients. It will fail because the very men who will die and the families that will suffer the loss are not aware of the research and are not being made aware by their doctors.
What is it about men? What is it about this lethal form of cancer that men, even men who have been treated for it cannot and will not confront it? What is it about the doctors treating these men that they are not alert to the trial therapies that may save or extend their patient's lives?
Is there something in the psychological nature of a man that prevents him from learning about his body and taking responsible preventive measures? Is there a failure in the American health system that does not sufficiently propagate crucial, live-saving information?
Is there a failure in medical education, in medical practice that biases doctors to their own specialty and blinds them to alternative approaches...to a multidisciplinary approach to treatment?
African American men have one of the highest incidences of Pc. In general, they tend to present with a worse stage at DX which puts them at a high risk.
Therefore African American men need to be represented in this and other trials in order to better assess whether they benefit from the same interventions instead of extrapolating from trials where the majority of patients are white.
A thousand men are needed for this trial. Without treatment, statistically, from four to six hundred of these thousand men will have a reoccurrence and die of prostate cancer. Unnecessarily.
King Hussein, Francois Mitterand, Ayatolla Khomeini, The Shah of Iran, Steve Ross, Frank Zappa and millions of others have died of Prostate Cancer. These famous men, rich men, world leaders died unnecessarily.
Joe Torre, Norman Schwartzkopf, Jerry Lewis, Charlton Heston, Michael Milken, Dominic Dunne, Barry Bostwick, Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, Intel CEO Andy Grove, the new FBI Director Nominee and millions of others are living with it. Millions of others have it and don't yet know.
Prostate cancer kills 36,000 Americans a year, roughly equal to breast cancer. Prostate cancer receives less than one fourth of the research money of breast cancer. AIDS in the US kills approximately the same number each year, yet AIDS receives over ten times the research funds.
One in two Americans will get cancer. One in six American men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. It is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in men.
Women are aware of the need for early detection. Men are in denial. Breast cancer and AIDS have been politicized. Prostate Cancer has not.
New methods of detection have improved the chances of survival. Most men are unaware. A simple blood test can indicate cancer early, when aggressive treatment is most effective. The test tracks Prostate Specific Antigen in the blood. Few men are aware of their PSA level. Fewer know to track these levels yearly.
New treatments including radioactive seeds, hormone therapy, gene therapy, surgery, chemo and others are available. Few doctors can give a cogent answer to the question of what kind of treatments their patients should have. When attacked while contained in the prostate, prostate cancer is often curable. When it migrates out of the prostate, it is generally too late for a cure.
Prostate cancer usually strikes men in their most productive years, at the peak of their earning power and their value to society. The financial cost to US society for all cancers has been pegged by the Milken Institute at 47 trillion dollars, roughly equal to the GNP.
We now know that defective genes cause cancer. We are within sight of a cure. It could happen within our lifetime, possibly within the next ten years.
Because of the unique structure of prostate cancer cells a breakthrough here could have a profound effect on speeding the research in other forms of cancer.
The Prostate Cancer Research Institute is being formed at University of Washington in collaboration with The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute to speed up both research and treatment, through a multidisciplinary approach. New research will be speeded out of the lab into immediate clinical trials with the results directed back to the labs for refinement.
One crucial trial by the Southwest Oncology Group is in danger of failure because not enough patients or their doctors know about it. The trial needs 1000 patients at high risk of recurrence after surgery. Statistically four to six hundred of these men will die or have their lives shortened dramatically by reoccurrence. This trial will offer new therapies to attempt to prevent this.
You can help. The researchers need to get the word out. People need to know about prostate cancer, as it not only affects men, but also their families, friends and society.
In the forties Franklin Roosevelt declared War on Polio. Today, Polio is no longer a threat to our children or ourselves.
The researchers are excited. The knowledge gained in the last few years is profound. There is no reason that our children and our children's children should live with or die from cancer. Our generation can find a cure. You can be a part of this. We need to get the word out.
Dr. Celestia Higano, a world renown research oncologist and Dr. Maha Hussein two of the few women in prostate cancer research are available to appear on camera, either in person, via satellite or on tape. Tia has spoken before medical research groups across the US, in Europe and the Far East. She can speak on the immediate clinical trial crisis, current research breakthroughs and the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, of which she is a founder.
Other possible on camera guests are Dr. Paul Lange of the University of Washington Medical School, a founder of the PCRI; and the above named survivors including Michael Milken. DV footage of Michael Milken's speech at the PCRI fundraiser is also available.
Contact: Charles Proser, Prostate Cancer Research Institute
- Media, 323.876.1885 or chippro@aol.com
Docs Don't Talk to Men about
Prostate
"People in healthcare hear a lot about prostate cancer and may take it for granted that most men are informed about the disease," said Ted Spiker, the articles editor at Men's Health.
Cancer of the prostate, a small gland located in the male reproductive system, is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American men after lung cancer. More than 180,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year and nearly 32,000 men will die from the disease.
One thousand men aged 18 or older were interviewed by telephone between April 30 and May 9 of this year. The survey results are published in the July/August issue of Men's Health.
"Doctors are talking to one out of two male patients about prostate cancer and are not recommending testing in about a third of males with increased risk," the survey indicates.
Currently, the American Cancer Society recommends that men aged 50 and over be offered a rectal exam and prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to detect prostate cancer.
While it is known that African Americans and those with a family history of the disease are at increased risk, many men may overlook the fact that eating a high-fat diet and being over age 65 can also increase their risk.
Most alarming, however, is the fact that "a lot of men say that their doctors don't talk to them about their prostate and three-quarters of men say they haven't heard of a PSA test," Spiker said.
PSA is a protein found in blood that, when elevated, could be a sign of cancer. Men with a very low PSA test can have another PSA test and a digital rectal exam, a physical examination of the prostate, every 1 to 3 years. Men with normal but slightly elevated PSA levels should be retested every year.
"We want men to be more aware of important health issues and to talk to their doctors about possible tests and prevention," Spiker concluded.
Source: Keith Mulvihill news.excite.com/printstory/news/r/010611/10/health-prostate
Men don't get full benefit from relatively
new test
That's the conclusion of a new survey of American urologists attending the American Urological Association's annual conference, held last week in Anaheim, Calif. The survey was conducted by the Men's Health Network (MHN), which released the results today during National Prostate Cancer Awareness week.
"The survey suggests many doctors are not yet taking advantage of the risk-assessment information that the free-PSA test provides about how likely prostatic biopsies are to show cancers in individual cases," said Dr. William J. Catalona, of the Washington University School of Medicine.
"That means patients may not have all the information they need to make an informed decision about whether or not to have a biopsy," says Catalona who authored a major study on the free-PSA test that established the test's role and effectiveness in detecting cancer while eliminating unnecessary biopsies.
PSA, which stands for prostate specific antigen, is a protein produced only by the prostate gland. Small amounts of this substance may get into the bloodstream and can be measured by the PSA test.
The free-PSA blood test is a follow-up test to the total PSA and improves the accuracy of prostate cancer testing. The prostate specific antigen can be "bound" to other particles or they can be unbound PSA molecules that float "freely" in the bloodstream. A free-PSA test measures these free PSA molecules.
The free-PSA test was FDA-approved in 1998, and clinically proven to help detect prostate cancer with great accuracy. Leading cancer researchers have concluded the test can eliminate 20 percent of unnecessary biopsies, among men who have moderately elevated levels of total PSA and a negative digital rectal exam (DRE).
Prostate biopsies, in which samples of prostate tissue are examined under a microsope to determine the presence of cancer, routinely cost more than $1,000, involve discomfort and anxiety, and can cause complications such as infection, fever, urinary retention and rectal bleeding.
But the Men's Health Network survey found most urologists do not perform a simple free-PSA blood test before referring these men for biopsy.
American Cancer Society guidelines clearly recognize the test's role in detecting cancer. The guidelines say restricting biopsy "to men with less than 20 percent PSA improves testing accuracy," and that proper use of the free-PSA test "may result in a lower biopsy rate compared with older strategies."
Nearly 90 percent of urologists reported that when they recommend a prostate biopsy, patients at least occasionally ask if there is an alternative.
Even though many urologists do not perform a free-PSA blood test before referring men with moderately elevated PSA levels for biopsy, most urologists do nonetheless employ the test to assess these patients' conditions.
The large majority of responding urologists recommends the test for men who have a negative DRE and moderately elevated PSA levels, and especially for men with moderately elevated PSA, a negative DRE and a negative biopsy.
"PSA is the best cancer tumor marker in all of medicine, but there has been understandable pressure to improve its accuracy," said Dr. Catalona. "Free-PSA is the best available way to improve the accuracy of total PSA tests."
Dr. David Gremillion, of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, praised PSA and free-PSA testing as providing "an opportunity for men that can rival the benefits of regular preventive care that women receive when they go for their annual Pap smears and screening mammograms."
The survey of U.S. urologists was performed by representatives of the Men's Health Network from June 3-6, 2001. Beckman Coulter, which manufactures the Hybritech free-PSA test, provided an educational grant to conduct the survey.
Source: www.cancerfacts.com/Home_News.asp?CancerTypeId=4&NewsId=1250
Osteoporosis under-diagnosed in
men
Source: www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/osteomen.pdf
Number of Sex Partners Linked to Prostate
Cancer
This finding supports the theory that prostate cancer may be triggered by an infectious agent, because men with more sex partners tend to have an increased risk of exposure to infection, according to Karin A. Rosenblatt of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her colleagues. The findings are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Past studies have found links between certain sexually transmitted diseases--particularly gonorrhea--and prostate cancer. Some studies have also linked prostate cancer to human papillomavirus, the cause of genital warts and a major contributor to cervical cancer in women. However, other studies have found no link between sexually transmitted diseases and prostate cancer.
In the new study, the researchers looked at 753 men with prostate cancer and compared them with 703 men the same age who were cancer-free. All were between the ages of 40 and 64.
Men who reported having gonorrhea had a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer, although other types of sexually transmitted diseases did not appear to increase risk significantly.
Having two or more female sex partners during their teens, 20s, 40s and between age 50 to 64 increased men's risk of prostate cancer, compared with men who had sex with only one woman during each of these time periods, the investigators found. Also, men who had 30 or more sexual partners in their lifetime had an increased risk of more aggressive prostate cancer.
There was no link between the number of male partners a man had and cancer, and the frequency of sex did not affect cancer risk.
In contradiction of previous research, the study found that having sex for the first time at an earlier age was not associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
However, the study could not prove that a higher number of sex partners was the actual cause of prostate cancer. And more research is needed confirm the results--and find a reason why they might be true.
"In summary, our results support a role for sexual behavior and associated exposure to infectious agents in the etiology of prostate cancer," Rosenblatt and colleagues conclude. "Additional research will be required to identify specific exposures that may explain the observed link between the number of sexual partners and prostate cancer risk."
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology
2001;152:1152-1158. news.excite.com/printstory/news/r/010613/17/health-sex
In the back page of their "Father's Day Favorites!" ad
specials insert for 6/13-19, 2001, there is a 4 3/4 by 3 3/8s
ad
promoting Prostate Cancer Awareness. It reads "Help Safeway and CaP
CURE in the fight to cure prostate cancer. Every dollar contributed
brings us one step closer to a cure. Ask your checker how you can
give today!" And, "Visit the pharmacy at participating stores for a
Free Prostate Cancer fact sheet." At check-out,
you get a flier that says "Please present at check out to add a $100
contribution to your purchase." When given to the check out person,
they charge your grocery purchase an extra dollar. The card has a
line "A contribution is made in honor of:" and a line to write
your name, supposedly to be posted somewhere in the store. I turned
one in but have yet to see it or any others posted. Consumers never
really supported the Prostate Cancer Awareness Stamp at the post
office. Hopefully, more will support this program. Hopefully, men
will wake up and help support prostate cancer awareness since there
really isn't a cure or any treatment that improves a man's life, like
there is for Breast Cancer. That's why the American Cancer Society
isn't recommending annual check-ups like they recommend for women re:
breast cancer. They only recommend that you talk with your health
care professional. It takes awareness followed by action. Hey men,
let's solve this thing before it's too late for us, our fathers, our
grandfathers, and our sons. September 17-21, 2001 is Prostate
Cancer Awareness Week. Spread the word. www.safeway.com/sfwy_cap_cure.asp
The Prostate Cancer Research and
Prevention Act
1. To identify factors that influence the attitudes or levels of
awareness of men and health care practitioners regarding screening
for prostate cancer.
2. To evaluate. . . the effectiveness of screening strategies for
prostate cancer.
3. To identify. . . related to the quality of life for men after
prostrate cancer screening and followup.
4. To develop and disseminate public information and education
programs for prostate cancer. . .
5. To improve surveillance for prostate cancer.
6. To address the needs of underserved and minority populations
regarding prostate cancer.
7. Upon a determination . . .
a. to screen men for prostate cancer as a preventive health
measure;
b. to provide appropriate referrals for the medical treatment of men
who have been screened under subparagraph (A) and to ensure, to the
extent practicable, the provision of appropriate followup services
and support services such as case management;
c. to establish mechanisms through which State and local health
departments can monitor the quality of screening procedures for
prostate cancer. . .
d. to improve . . . the education, training, and skills of health
practitioners (including appropriate allied health professionals) in
the detection and control of prostate cancer."
thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r106:5:./temp/~r1061iEUxC:e7600
Study Sheds Light on Prostate Cancer
Screening
But it remains unclear how often men with normal PSA levels should receive follow-up screening for prostate cancer. From 85% to 92% of men screened for prostate cancer will have PSA levels of 4.0 ng/ml or less.
The researchers conclude: ``In individuals with initial PSA levels lower than 1.0 ng/ml, it is recommended that DRE and PSA screening should be performed once every three years, and DRE is more useful than PSA. In individuals with initial PSA levels of 1.0 to 4.0 ng/ml, annual measurement of PSA was more useful than DRE, and it is recommended that PSA screening should be performed once a year.''
Source: dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010222/hl/cancer_2.html
Black Fraternity Announces Two-Year
Prostate Cancer Global Awanress Campaign
The campaign is endorsed by Harry Belafonte, a prostate cancer survivor, the Honorable Louis Stokes of Ohio, and Wellington Webb, mayor of Denver, CO.
The effort is being coordinated by Kappa Alpha Psi chapters around the world, and includes education and screening activities. One of the most important results of the campaign has been to encourage the U.S. Conference of Mayors to conduct a similar effort.
For more information, contact: Kappa Alpha Psi 2322-24 N. Broad
Street Philadelphia, PA 19132
Clinical Trial in US With Prostate
Cancer Patients Who Fail Hormone Therapy
The US FDA has allowed a clinical trial to treat prostate cancer patients who have failed hormone therapy (called hormone refractory patients), with a combination immuno-chemo therapy regimen comprised of Aphton's (Nasdaq/NM:APHT) immunogen, called GnRH pharmaccine, and the chemotherapeutic taxotere.
Such patients will likely have been treated with a GnRH agonist drug (to achieve a chemical castration) or an orchiectomy (a surgical castration), following therapy for the primary tumor, but will have metastases, relapsed and have a rising PSA.
Vitamin E may protect against
prostate cancer
Good Food & A Good
Cause (1/8-12/01)
This time our 5% Day is going to be spread out over five days, giving 1% of total sales for five days in a row. The Prostate Awareness Foundation helps individuals all over the Bay Area and this will give them a chance to do their weekly shopping at Mill Valley’s Whole Foods. Thank you for shopping during these five days to increase the donation amount to the Prostate Awareness Foundation.
Whole Foods Market proudly supports The Prostate Awareness Foundation by donating 1% of our sales from January 8th through the 12th. Shop at Mill Valley. Monday through Friday to lend your support to The Prostate Awareness Foundation. PAF offers information, support, and education about the treatment options available to those with prostate cancer. The object is to lessen the trauma, impact, problems, and depression associated with the disease, and to encourage proactive responsibility for one’s own healing. The Prostate Awareness Foundation has been offering this service to Marin and the Greater Bay Area since 1995.
Whole Foods Market is proud to lend its support to the Prostate
Cancer Climb up Mt. Aconcaugua in Argentina. We wish Ken Malik,
climber and co-founder of PAF the best of luck on his climb!
Courtney.smith@wholefoods.com
Prostate Cancer Climb - Mount Aconcagua,
Argentina
(1/21-2/4/01)Natural Medicine
Online: Therapeutic Choices in BPM
Saw Palmetto may Fight Prostate
Cancer
Protein Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk
in Black Men
Natural Medicine Online: Therapeutic Choices in BPH
The U.S. Senate passes SR 138, designating
September as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Designating the month of September as `National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month'.
Whereas over 1,000,000 American families live with prostate cancer;
Whereas 1 American man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime;
Whereas prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed nonskin cancer and the second most common cancer killer of American men;
Whereas 198,100 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 31,500 American men will die of prostate cancer in 2001, according to American Cancer Society estimates;
Whereas fully 1/4 of new cases of prostate cancer occur in men during their prime working years;
Whereas African Americans have the highest incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer in the world;
Whereas screening by both digit rectal examination and prostate specific antigen blood test (PSA) can diagnose the disease in earlier and more treatable stages and have reduced prostate cancer mortality;
Whereas the research pipeline promises further improvements in prostate cancer prevention, early detection, and treatments; and
Whereas educating Americans, including health care providers, about prostate cancer and early detection strategies is crucial to saving men's lives and preserving and protecting our families: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates the month of September 2001 as `National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month';
(2) declares that the Federal Government has a responsibility--(A) to raise awareness about the importance of screening methods and treatment of prostate cancer; (B) to increase research funding that is commensurate with the burden of the disease so that the causes of, and improved screening, treatments, and a cure for, prostate cancer may be discovered; and (C) to continue to consider ways for improving access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer; and
(3) requests the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States, interested groups, and affected persons to promote awareness of prostate cancer, to take an active role in the fight to end the devastating effects of prostate cancer on individuals, their families, and the economy and to observe the month of September 2001 with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
Amend the title so as to read: `Resolution designating the month
of September 2001 as `National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month'.
Source: capwiz.com/pcacoalition/issues/bills/?bill=45899
Prostate Cancer Awareness Stamp Taken Off
the Market
Here's the latest information on sales of the Breast Cancer
Research semipostal stamp. As of June 15, 2001, the U.S Postal
Service sold 305 million of the stamps (40 cents each for a total
gross revenue of $122 million), raising $21 million for research. 415
million total stamps have been printed. The stamp was first issued on
July 29, 1998.
Source: Don Smeraldi, U.S. Postal Service,
202.268.6524
Prostate Cancer Research Institute Alert:
Another Important Research Project May Fail If Men Don't Show Up
It will fail because of lack of patients. It will fail because the very men who will die and the families that will suffer the loss are not aware of the research and are not being made aware by their doctors.
What is it about men? What is it about this lethal form of cancer that men, even men who have been treated for it cannot and will not confront it? What is it about the doctors treating these men that they are not alert to the trial therapies that may save or extend their patient's lives?
Is there something in the psychological nature of a man that prevents him from learning about his body and taking responsible preventive measures? Is there a failure in the American health system that does not sufficiently propagate crucial, live-saving information?
Is there a failure in medical education, in medical practice that biases doctors to their own specialty and blinds them to alternative approaches...to a multidisciplinary approach to treatment?
African American men have one of the highest incidences of Pc. In general, they tend to present with a worse stage at DX which puts them at a high risk.
Therefore African American men need to be represented in this and other trials in order to better assess whether they benefit from the same interventions instead of extrapolating from trials where the majority of patients are white.
A thousand men are needed for this trial. Without treatment, statistically, from four to six hundred of these thousand men will have a reoccurrence and die of prostate cancer. Unnecessarily.
King Hussein, Francois Mitterand, Ayatolla Khomeini, The Shah of Iran, Steve Ross, Frank Zappa and millions of others have died of Prostate Cancer. These famous men, rich men, world leaders died unnecessarily.
Joe Torre, Norman Schwartzkopf, Jerry Lewis, Charlton Heston, Michael Milken, Dominic Dunne, Barry Bostwick, Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, Intel CEO Andy Grove, the new FBI Director Nominee and millions of others are living with it. Millions of others have it and don't yet know.
Prostate cancer kills 36,000 Americans a year, roughly equal to breast cancer. Prostate cancer receives less than one fourth of the research money of breast cancer. AIDS in the US kills approximately the same number each year, yet AIDS receives over ten times the research funds.
One in two Americans will get cancer. One in six American men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. It is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in men.
Women are aware of the need for early detection. Men are in denial. Breast cancer and AIDS have been politicized. Prostate Cancer has not.
New methods of detection have improved the chances of survival. Most men are unaware. A simple blood test can indicate cancer early, when aggressive treatment is most effective. The test tracks Prostate Specific Antigen in the blood. Few men are aware of their PSA level. Fewer know to track these levels yearly.
New treatments including radioactive seeds, hormone therapy, gene therapy, surgery, chemo and others are available. Few doctors can give a cogent answer to the question of what kind of treatments their patients should have. When attacked while contained in the prostate, prostate cancer is often curable. When it migrates out of the prostate, it is generally too late for a cure.
Prostate cancer usually strikes men in their most productive years, at the peak of their earning power and their value to society. The financial cost to US society for all cancers has been pegged by the Milken Institute at 47 trillion dollars, roughly equal to the GNP.
We now know that defective genes cause cancer. We are within sight of a cure. It could happen within our lifetime, possibly within the next ten years.
Because of the unique structure of prostate cancer cells a breakthrough here could have a profound effect on speeding the research in other forms of cancer.
The Prostate Cancer Research Institute is being formed at University of Washington in collaboration with The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute to speed up both research and treatment, through a multidisciplinary approach. New research will be speeded out of the lab into immediate clinical trials with the results directed back to the labs for refinement.
One crucial trial by the Southwest Oncology Group is in danger of failure because not enough patients or their doctors know about it. The trial needs 1000 patients at high risk of recurrence after surgery. Statistically four to six hundred of these men will die or have their lives shortened dramatically by reoccurrence. This trial will offer new therapies to attempt to prevent this.
You can help. The researchers need to get the word out. People need to know about prostate cancer, as it not only affects men, but also their families, friends and society.
In the forties Franklin Roosevelt declared War on Polio. Today, Polio is no longer a threat to our children or ourselves.
The researchers are excited. The knowledge gained in the last few years is profound. There is no reason that our children and our children's children should live with or die from cancer. Our generation can find a cure. You can be a part of this. We need to get the word out.
Dr. Celestia Higano, a world renown research oncologist and Dr. Maha Hussein two of the few women in prostate cancer research are available to appear on camera, either in person, via satellite or on tape. Tia has spoken before medical research groups across the US, in Europe and the Far East. She can speak on the immediate clinical trial crisis, current research breakthroughs and the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, of which she is a founder.
Other possible on camera guests are Dr. Paul Lange of the University of Washington Medical School, a founder of the PCRI; and the above named survivors including Michael Milken. DV footage of Michael Milken's speech at the PCRI fundraiser is also available.
Contact: Charles Proser, Prostate Cancer Research Institute
- Media, 323.876.1885 or chippro@aol.com
Docs Don't Talk to Men about
Prostate
"People in healthcare hear a lot about prostate cancer and may take it for granted that most men are informed about the disease," said Ted Spiker, the articles editor at Men's Health.
Cancer of the prostate, a small gland located in the male reproductive system, is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American men after lung cancer. More than 180,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year and nearly 32,000 men will die from the disease.
One thousand men aged 18 or older were interviewed by telephone between April 30 and May 9 of this year. The survey results are published in the July/August issue of Men's Health.
"Doctors are talking to one out of two male patients about prostate cancer and are not recommending testing in about a third of males with increased risk," the survey indicates.
Currently, the American Cancer Society recommends that men aged 50 and over be offered a rectal exam and prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to detect prostate cancer.
While it is known that African Americans and those with a family history of the disease are at increased risk, many men may overlook the fact that eating a high-fat diet and being over age 65 can also increase their risk.
Most alarming, however, is the fact that "a lot of men say that their doctors don't talk to them about their prostate and three-quarters of men say they haven't heard of a PSA test," Spiker said.
PSA is a protein found in blood that, when elevated, could be a sign of cancer. Men with a very low PSA test can have another PSA test and a digital rectal exam, a physical examination of the prostate, every 1 to 3 years. Men with normal but slightly elevated PSA levels should be retested every year.
"We want men to be more aware of important health issues and to talk to their doctors about possible tests and prevention," Spiker concluded.
Source: Keith Mulvihill news.excite.com/printstory/news/r/010611/10/health-prostate
Men don't get full benefit from relatively
new test
That's the conclusion of a new survey of American urologists attending the American Urological Association's annual conference, held last week in Anaheim, Calif. The survey was conducted by the Men's Health Network (MHN), which released the results today during National Prostate Cancer Awareness week.
"The survey suggests many doctors are not yet taking advantage of the risk-assessment information that the free-PSA test provides about how likely prostatic biopsies are to show cancers in individual cases," said Dr. William J. Catalona, of the Washington University School of Medicine.
"That means patients may not have all the information they need to make an informed decision about whether or not to have a biopsy," says Catalona who authored a major study on the free-PSA test that established the test's role and effectiveness in detecting cancer while eliminating unnecessary biopsies.
PSA, which stands for prostate specific antigen, is a protein produced only by the prostate gland. Small amounts of this substance may get into the bloodstream and can be measured by the PSA test.
The free-PSA blood test is a follow-up test to the total PSA and improves the accuracy of prostate cancer testing. The prostate specific antigen can be "bound" to other particles or they can be unbound PSA molecules that float "freely" in the bloodstream. A free-PSA test measures these free PSA molecules.
The free-PSA test was FDA-approved in 1998, and clinically proven to help detect prostate cancer with great accuracy. Leading cancer researchers have concluded the test can eliminate 20 percent of unnecessary biopsies, among men who have moderately elevated levels of total PSA and a negative digital rectal exam (DRE).
Prostate biopsies, in which samples of prostate tissue are examined under a microsope to determine the presence of cancer, routinely cost more than $1,000, involve discomfort and anxiety, and can cause complications such as infection, fever, urinary retention and rectal bleeding.
But the Men's Health Network survey found most urologists do not perform a simple free-PSA blood test before referring these men for biopsy.
American Cancer Society guidelines clearly recognize the test's role in detecting cancer. The guidelines say restricting biopsy "to men with less than 20 percent PSA improves testing accuracy," and that proper use of the free-PSA test "may result in a lower biopsy rate compared with older strategies."
Nearly 90 percent of urologists reported that when they recommend a prostate biopsy, patients at least occasionally ask if there is an alternative.
Even though many urologists do not perform a free-PSA blood test before referring men with moderately elevated PSA levels for biopsy, most urologists do nonetheless employ the test to assess these patients' conditions.
The large majority of responding urologists recommends the test for men who have a negative DRE and moderately elevated PSA levels, and especially for men with moderately elevated PSA, a negative DRE and a negative biopsy.
"PSA is the best cancer tumor marker in all of medicine, but there has been understandable pressure to improve its accuracy," said Dr. Catalona. "Free-PSA is the best available way to improve the accuracy of total PSA tests."
Dr. David Gremillion, of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, praised PSA and free-PSA testing as providing "an opportunity for men that can rival the benefits of regular preventive care that women receive when they go for their annual Pap smears and screening mammograms."
The survey of U.S. urologists was performed by representatives of the Men's Health Network from June 3-6, 2001. Beckman Coulter, which manufactures the Hybritech free-PSA test, provided an educational grant to conduct the survey.
Source: www.cancerfacts.com/Home_News.asp?CancerTypeId=4&NewsId=1250
Osteoporosis under-diagnosed in
men
Source: www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/osteomen.pdf
Number of Sex Partners Linked to Prostate
Cancer
This finding supports the theory that prostate cancer may be triggered by an infectious agent, because men with more sex partners tend to have an increased risk of exposure to infection, according to Karin A. Rosenblatt of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her colleagues. The findings are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Past studies have found links between certain sexually transmitted diseases--particularly gonorrhea--and prostate cancer. Some studies have also linked prostate cancer to human papillomavirus, the cause of genital warts and a major contributor to cervical cancer in women. However, other studies have found no link between sexually transmitted diseases and prostate cancer.
In the new study, the researchers looked at 753 men with prostate cancer and compared them with 703 men the same age who were cancer-free. All were between the ages of 40 and 64.
Men who reported having gonorrhea had a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer, although other types of sexually transmitted diseases did not appear to increase risk significantly.
Having two or more female sex partners during their teens, 20s, 40s and between age 50 to 64 increased men's risk of prostate cancer, compared with men who had sex with only one woman during each of these time periods, the investigators found. Also, men who had 30 or more sexual partners in their lifetime had an increased risk of more aggressive prostate cancer.
There was no link between the number of male partners a man had and cancer, and the frequency of sex did not affect cancer risk.
In contradiction of previous research, the study found that having sex for the first time at an earlier age was not associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
However, the study could not prove that a higher number of sex partners was the actual cause of prostate cancer. And more research is needed confirm the results--and find a reason why they might be true.
"In summary, our results support a role for sexual behavior and associated exposure to infectious agents in the etiology of prostate cancer," Rosenblatt and colleagues conclude. "Additional research will be required to identify specific exposures that may explain the observed link between the number of sexual partners and prostate cancer risk."
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology
2001;152:1152-1158. news.excite.com/printstory/news/r/010613/17/health-sex
In the back page of their "Father's Day Favorites!" ad
specials insert for 6/13-19, 2001, there is a 4 3/4 by 3 3/8s
ad
promoting Prostate Cancer Awareness. It reads "Help Safeway and CaP
CURE in the fight to cure prostate cancer. Every dollar contributed
brings us one step closer to a cure. Ask your checker how you can
give today!" And, "Visit the pharmacy at participating stores for a
Free Prostate Cancer fact sheet." At check-out,
you get a flier that says "Please present at check out to add a $100
contribution to your purchase." When given to the check out person,
they charge your grocery purchase an extra dollar. The card has a
line "A contribution is made in honor of:" and a line to write
your name, supposedly to be posted somewhere in the store. I turned
one in but have yet to see it or any others posted. Consumers never
really supported the Prostate Cancer Awareness Stamp at the post
office. Hopefully, more will support this program. Hopefully, men
will wake up and help support prostate cancer awareness since there
really isn't a cure or any treatment that improves a man's life, like
there is for Breast Cancer. That's why the American Cancer Society
isn't recommending annual check-ups like they recommend for women re:
breast cancer. They only recommend that you talk with your health
care professional. It takes awareness followed by action. Hey men,
let's solve this thing before it's too late for us, our fathers, our
grandfathers, and our sons. September 17-21, 2001 is Prostate
Cancer Awareness Week. Spread the word. www.safeway.com/sfwy_cap_cure.asp
Study Sheds Light on Prostate Cancer
Screening (2/22/01)
But it remains unclear how often men with normal PSA levels should receive follow-up screening for prostate cancer. From 85% to 92% of men screened for prostate cancer will have PSA levels of 4.0 ng/ml or less.
The researchers conclude: ``In individuals with initial PSA levels lower than 1.0 ng/ml, it is recommended that DRE and PSA screening should be performed once every three years, and DRE is more useful than PSA. In individuals with initial PSA levels of 1.0 to 4.0 ng/ml, annual measurement of PSA was more useful than DRE, and it is recommended that PSA screening should be performed once a year.''
Source: dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010222/hl/cancer_2.html
Black Fraternity Announces Two-Year
Prostate Cancer Global Awanress Campaign
The campaign is endorsed by Harry Belafonte, a prostate cancer survivor, the Honorable Louis Stokes of Ohio, and Wellington Webb, mayor of Denver, CO.
The effort is being coordinated by Kappa Alpha Psi chapters around the world, and includes education and screening activities. One of the most important results of the campaign has been to encourage the U.S. Conference of Mayors to conduct a similar effort.
For more information, contact: Kappa Alpha Psi 2322-24 N. Broad
Street Philadelphia, PA 19132
Clinical Trial in US With Prostate
Cancer Patients Who Fail Hormone Therapy (1/16/01)
The US FDA has allowed a clinical trial to treat prostate cancer patients who have failed hormone therapy (called hormone refractory patients), with a combination immuno-chemo therapy regimen comprised of Aphton's (Nasdaq/NM:APHT) immunogen, called GnRH pharmaccine, and the chemotherapeutic taxotere.
Such patients will likely have been treated with a GnRH agonist drug (to achieve a chemical castration) or an orchiectomy (a surgical castration), following therapy for the primary tumor, but will have metastases, relapsed and have a rising PSA.
Vitamin E may protect against
prostate cancer
This time our 5% Day is going to be spread out over five days, giving 1% of total sales for five days in a row. The Prostate Awareness Foundation helps individuals all over the Bay Area and this will give them a chance to do their weekly shopping at Mill Valley’s Whole Foods. Thank you for shopping during these five days to increase the donation amount to the Prostate Awareness Foundation.
Whole Foods Market proudly supports The Prostate Awareness Foundation by donating 1% of our sales from January 8th through the 12th. Shop at Mill Valley. Monday through Friday to lend your support to The Prostate Awareness Foundation. PAF offers information, support, and education about the treatment options available to those with prostate cancer. The object is to lessen the trauma, impact, problems, and depression associated with the disease, and to encourage proactive responsibility for one’s own healing. The Prostate Awareness Foundation has been offering this service to Marin and the Greater Bay Area since 1995.
Whole Foods Market is proud to lend its support to the Prostate
Cancer Climb up Mt. Aconcaugua in Argentina. We wish Ken Malik,
climber and co-founder of PAF the best of luck on his climb!
Courtney.smith@wholefoods.com
Prostate Cancer Climb - Mount Aconcagua,
Argentina
(1/21-2/4/01)Declining Deaths from Prostate Cancer
Since 1991, deaths from prostate cancer have declined steadily in
the United States. That’s good news, but the explanation remains
unclear. Many scientists credit the prostate specific antigen (PSA)
test, which has been used for routine prostate cancer screening since
the late 1980s. Find out more - www.health.harvard.edu/article.cfm?id=47
Approvimately 90% of adults can be treated or cured of incontinence but haven't sought professional help.
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