New Resources and Opportunities

How Much Do You Know About Reproductive Cancers? Men with prostate cancer often gain considerable knowledge about the disease, its treatment, and the possible side effects of various treatments. But just how much knowledge do they pick up about other reproductive cancers? Also, exactly what is their understanding of the sometimes complicated language used to describe treatments and side effects? Help Dalhousie researchers find answers. Study Investigates Special Concerns of Gay Men with Prostate Cancer Ryerson University in Toronto and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX are sponsoring a study of gay men who have been treated for prostate cancer in the last three years. Men who are interested in the study will be screened to ensure they meet the eligibility requirements: • Self-identify as gay or bisexual • Be diagnosed with prostate cancer within the past 2 years • Be able to read and write English • Be able to complete the web-based survey Eligible men will be emailed a link to the survey website. The survey takes about 45 minutes to complete and can be completed at any time. If men who take part in this project have a significant other or partner, he may also be eligible to complete a separate web-based survey about his experience as a partner of a man with prostate cancer. All information is private and confidential. If you have any questions, please call the research coordinator, Laura Katz, at 1-866-643-7604, or email us at CancerOutcomes@psych.ryerson.ca. Help yourself to our resources Since the redesign of the CPCN website in 2006, we've added hundreds of web pages, newsletters, images, videos, and documents. Learn how to search our site effectively, and help yourself by discovering a world of information that is directly relevant to you and your situation. Click here to find out more. Collaborations: Prostate and Breast Cancer Survivors work together. Look out when men and women work together to tackle cancer! The Cancer Support Network, a pilot project of the Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Partnership, is looking at using innovative communication alternatives to connect men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Yes, prostate cancer support groups across Canada and the CPCN offer men opportunities to help one another and to share their experiences, both face-to-face and virtually. But some men find it difficult to get out to meetings, and others have limited access to computers. To put these men in touch with one another, the Cancer Support Network is hosting online and teleconference discussions with groups of prostate cancer patients and survivors. For a flyer about this service, click here. For information about the project, download the article "When you can't meet face-to-face" or contact Kathy Thompson toll-free at 1-888-837-9071 or by e-mail at Kathy@cancersupportnetwork.ca. Like Fish out of Water: Men Being Helpful to Women with Cancer is a play written by Dr. Ross Gray and Dr. Karen Fergus; both are psychologists and researchers at the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. It illuminates the challenges men face as they try to help the women in their lives cope with cancer. The dialogue is drawn directly from Fergus and Gray's research into the problems men encounter when they attempt to be helpful to women with cancer. A major goal of the performance, which lasts approximately 45 minutes, is to raise awareness of the importance of social support and the toll cancer can have on relationships. In many regions, local prostate cancer support groups are co-hosting this event. For information on upcoming performances, click here. For a review, consult The Best Kept Secret website. Globe & Mail Reviews Bercuson’s book Assume the Position: One Guy's Journey Through Prostate Cancer According to Andre Picard of the Globe & Mail, Richard Bercuson's new book is "witty, chock full of practical information, and, at times, even fun" - - - praise indeed for a book about prostate cancer. "But the real charm of Assume the Position is that it is written by a man, for men," Picard continues. (Read the whole review.) Assume the Position: One Guy's Journey Through Prostate Cancer tells the story of Bercuson's prostate cancer experience with humour and compassion. Says Allan Rock, himself a prostate cancer survivor, "Richard Bercuson … manages to humanize the experience of being diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer, while at the same time reducing the mystery and fear that too often surround this increasingly common disease." This book is more than a great read, however. All proceeds from sales will go towards the Prostate Cancer Association of Ottawa (PCAO), which underwrote publication. The book will retail at $15.00, but support groups can purchase bulk copies at $10.00 apiece (including shipping) and then re-sell the books, if they wish, for the cover price of $15.00. For more information, visit the PCAO website or http://www.richardbercuson.ca. Globe and Mail Supplement on Prostate Cancer Once regarded as a geriatric affliction, prostate cancer is now known to be a disease that can take root early in a man’s life. Read the recent Globe and Mail supplement on prostate cancer to get the latest on early detection, the PSA test, cornerstone therapeutics, treatment options, and support group initiatives. Also, discover how prostate cancer affects women, and hear survivor stories that inspire. (Click here to access the pdf file.) Research Compares Treatment of Early Prostate Cancer In the news recently are two interesting studies comparing various treatments of early stage prostate cancer. One, conducted in France, compared the effects of two treatments frequently prescribed for localized prostate cancer: 1) radioactive seed implantation (brachytherapy) and 2) surgery to remove the prostate (prostatectomy). Another study, based on data collected in the United States between 1980 and 1997, compares the long-term survival of men with localized prostate cancer who underwent 1) active surveillance or 2) radiation or surgery. (Read more.) Web Wonders The Internet enables men with prostate cancer to become knowledgeable about this disease and involved in their treatment and lifestyle decisions like never before. But there is so much information available that finding what you need and deciding on its usefulness and credibility is often very complicated. Anyone with a domain name can post information on the Internet, and it is frequently difficult to distinguish the purpose and reliability of web material just by looking at it. Is the main aim of a particular web site to sell you something - a drug, a new treatment, or a particular team of medical practitioners? Is a site's goal to inform physicians about advances in prostate cancer treatment? Or perhaps the aim is to recruit patients to a clinical trial. Nothing is wrong with these purposes, but a web site's reason for being as well as its author and intended audience should be considered when you assess whether the material it presents is useful to you and trustworthy. To get you started on web research, click here for a description of some sites that other men with prostate cancer have found useful. (For more suggestions, check out our Links page.)

Access to Care for Prostate Cancer Patients in Northeastern Ontario The Regional Cancer Program of the Sudbury Regional Hospital/Hôpital régional de Sudbury is sponsoring a research study "to evaluate and improve access to care for prostate cancer patients in northeastern Ontario." Specifically, researchers want to know about how and where men in the region get their diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer and to learn about the way these men diagnosed with prostate cancer and their family members get the information and support they need to deal with this disease. To see a PowerPoint overview about this research project, click here. Further questions about this research can be directed to Koop Alkema, Manager of the Surgical Oncology Program (705-522-6237). More information will be posted on the CPCN website as it becomes available.

The Impact of Personal Relationships on Coping with Chronic Illness (Niagara Health Study)
This study, which is being conducted at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, is investigating how people cope with serious chronic illnesses such as prostate cancer, particularly through their personal relationships with others. While it is well known that people who have strong social ties have better health and recovery, we do not well understand the pathways by which this occurs. Through the survey responses of people who actually cope with such conditions, researchers hope to better understand these processes and how to help them. Anyone suffering from a chronic illness such as prostate cancer is encouraged to participate in this research; location of residence is not a concern, as researchers would like to have participants from all over the world.

Participation in this study will be anonymous, and participants' privacy will be well protected. CPCN will post research findings on its website when they are available.

For more information or to participate, click here.
For more information about principal researcher Dr. Stanley Sadava, click here.


A New Booklet for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer
In Living with Prostate Cancer, Dr. Fred Saad (MD, FRCS) explains metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer, outlines the therapies available to treat men when hormone-resistant metastases have occurred, and discusses measures to help men with advanced prostate cancer improve their well-being. Dr. Saad is the Director of Urologic Oncology at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre and Professor of Surgery and U of M Chair in Prostate Cancer at the University of Montreal.

This booklet should be available from your local prostate cancer treatment centre.


Book Dedicated to PC Support Groups from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island
In his book Surviving Prostate Cancer: A Personal Journey and Second Opinion, Harold Gopaul, a prostate cancer survivor and a member of the Vancouver and Coquitlam Prostate Support and Awareness Group, explains the complexity of prostate cancer, some misunderstandings about it, and the findings from many scientific studies. He does this not only from the perspective of a survivor but also using his experiences as a biology teacher and an editor of both the Catalyst (the British Columbia Science Teachers' journal) and the Newsletter of the Vancouver Prostate Support Group. Read recent reviews by clicking here.

For more information:
Phone (403) 283-0900;
Fax (403) 283-6947;
E-mail temeron@telusplanet.net
www.temerondetselig.com/