June 20007     Volume 1    #1


Zometa helps with bone pain
HIFU: A new treatment for PCa
On your team against PCa
CPCN welcomes new directors


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CPCN & Support Groups: On your team against PCa

CPCN, with the generous support of sanofi-aventis Canada Inc., is staging a new awareness campaign on the benefits of teamwork in the fight against prostate cancer. Urologists and prostate cancer support groups across Canada will receive display units and rack cards that outline the advantages to men battling prostate cancer of pulling together a team of health care professionals, family and friends, and prostate cancer support group members.

As the campaign says, support groups provide your team with a "hometown advantage."

These local survivors of prostate cancer and their families have a wide range of experiences and will give you the confidence to make the decisions that are right for you.

Many confirm the benefit to men of connecting with others who are facing the challenge of prostate cancer. As Nick Ramage of BC writes, "Cancer survivors -- no matter what type of cancer, no matter what age -- exhibit the will to fight the disease, the spirit to be optimistic, and the humour to laugh when tough times come. The community of survivors can teach us all true lessons in living life to the fullest. " Researchers also suggest that support group membership is linked to improved coping and adjustment, increased knowledge about the disease and its treatment, a better ability to maintain treatment regimes, reduced stress, and even better health and a longer life span. (See the reviews of this literature listed below.)

Local support groups are enthusiastic partners in this campaign. They are recommending various places for the distribution of the rack cards, reporting to CPCN on the numbers needed in each location, and arranging matters on the ground.

And the campaign is already starting to generate excitement. Ray Martheleur reports from Nova Scotia: At our regular meeting of the Cape Breton prostate cancer support group last evening, the members were very impressed with the cards and holder that I received several weeks ago ... we have to get the word out to the people to listen, ask questions, and keep on living. We feel that this card, made available in pharmacies and other locations, could prompt a call to us.

For more information on this campaign (or to request material), telephone 1-866-810-2726 or email cpcn@nexicom.net.

REFERENCES
 Prostate Cancer Canada, "Nick's story. "

L. Thaxton, J. G. Emshoff, and O. Guessous, "Prostate Cancer Support Groups: A literature review. " Journal of Psychosocial Oncology 23, no.1 (2005): 25-40.

Sandra Walker, Prostate Cancer Support Groups: An Evaluation (Unpublished doctoral thesis, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne Australia, 2005).

  

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