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, e.g., testicular cancer for men and breast, cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancer for women? Also, exactly what is their understanding of the sometimes complicated language used to describe treatments and side effects?

Dalhousie University researchers Richard Wassersug, Irena Rot, and Imhokhai Ogah are hoping to discover answers to these and other questions.

For almost ten years, Dr. Richard Wassersug has been researching the experiences of men with prostate cancer, especially those of men on androgen deprivation therapy. It was a bit of a departure for Wassersug, a full professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Dalhousie University who holds cross appointments in the departments of biology and psychology. His main research focus for most of his scientific career had been the functional morphology and behaviour of anuran larvae---tadpoles to those of us who aren't scientists.

But Dr. Wassersug was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998. "Two years later, after failed surgery and radiation, I started hormonal therapy," he explains. "This meant taking chemicals that slow the growth of prostate cancer cells by depriving them of androgen." Not surprisingly, his research interests began to shift. Currently, he is very interested in the psychology of androgen deprivation.

Two studies have grown out of this interest. One seeks to determine whether estrogen can improve sleep quality for men undergoing hormonal therapy for prostate cancer. Another seeks to help prostate cancer patients and their partners overcome the detrimental effects of androgen deprivation therapy.

One aspect of this last study is to determine what men and women understand about the side effects of various treatments for reproductive cancers---side effects that can influence a person's sense of self, sexuality, and quality of life. And you can help by taking an online questionnaire that lets Dalhousie researchers know what you know, or think you know, about reproductive cancer, its treatment, and treatment side effects. (To take the questionnaire, click here. For more information, see below.)

Knowledge of Cancer, Its Treatments, and Their Side Effects
We are studying people's knowledge about reproductive-related cancers, their treatment options, and treatment side effects. We are focusing on various communities affected by these diseases. Our study addresses testicular and prostate cancers in males, and breast, uterine, cervical, and ovarian cancers in females. We are interested in what patients with any of these cancers know about the other cancers. We are also interested in how some of the language about treatments is understood.

You do not need to be an expert to help out. The questionnaire is for people who are themselves, or have a family member, affected by any of these diseases. The questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete. If you are interested in helping out please click here.

Richard Wassersug, PhD (tadpole@dal.ca)
Irena Rot, PhD (irena.rot@dal.ca)
Imhokhai Ogah, BSc
(902) 494-2244
Dalhousie University, School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada