Archive for Treatment News
Advanced Prostate Cancer Teleconference
Posted by: | CommentsMalecare Advanced Prostate Cancer Teleconference
A conversation about treating advanced stage prostate cancer, with James M. McKiernan, M.D. and Joel Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.
Dr. McKiernan is Vice Chairman of the Department and Director of Urologic Oncology at New York – Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. He treats many patients with high risk cancer diagnoses.
Dr. McKiernan is actively involved with ongoing research programs focused on improving patient outcomes. He has authored and co-authored more than 80 articles, book chapters, and abstracts in the field of urologic oncology. His research and discoveries have been published in Urology, Journal of Urology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer, and Cancer Research.
Mr. Nowak is Director of Advanced Disease and Advocacy at Malecare and is a four cancer survivor; diagnosed with melanoma, thyroid, kidney and advanced prostate cancer.
The teleconference will last approximately 60 minutes. We are accepting your questions in advance of the call. Please email your questions to: questions@malecare. org
This is the first of a six part bi-monthly teleconference series focused entirely on helping advanced stage prostate cancer patients find state of the art treatment.
All teleconferences will be recorded and available for future listening at www.advancedprostatecancer.net and, starting in September, 2010, at the new, updated www.malecare.org
Conference Date: August 17, 2010
Conference Time: 6:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM CT, 4:00 PM MT, 3:00PM PT
Participant Dialing Instructions:
Toll Free Number: 1.800.868.1837
Direct Dial/Int’l Number: 1.404.920.6440
Conference Code: 786432#
email address for questions and to be on our email list for future teleconferences: questions@malecare. org
Anti-angiogenesis and Cancer
Posted by: | CommentsGreat talk on anti-angiogenesis and cancer http://www.ted.com/talks/william_li.html
Clinical Trials That Exclude Gay and Lesbian Patients
Posted by: | CommentsThe March 18, 2010 issue of *New England Journal of Medicine* (Volume 362, #11,
March 18) includes a study: “Clinical Trials That Explicitly Exclude
Gay and Lesbian Patients.”
The authors are Brian L. Egleston, Ph.D., Roland L. Dunbrack, Jr.,
Ph.D., & Michael J. Hall, M.D.
Here’s how the report starts: “We recently encountered proposed studies
that explicitly excluded persons in same-sex relationships. We
therefore decided to gather data on clinical trials to see whether this
phenomenon is common. We performed exploratory searches of the
ClinicalTrials.gov database1 to identify categories of studies from
which lesbians and gay men were likely to be explicitly excluded.”
Here’s another excerpt: “We sought explicit inclusion and exclusion
criteria that would restrict trials to heterosexual patients, such as
study requirements that participants be in heterosexual relationships.
We included only studies with sites in the United States.”
Here’s how the report ends: “Our results indicate that exclusion of
lesbians and gay men from clinical trials in the United States is not
uncommon, particularly in studies with sexual function as an end point.
It is likely that most gay and lesbian patients are unaware that their
sexual orientation is being used as a screening factor for participation
in clinical trials. Researchers should be held to careful scientific
reasoning when they develop exclusion criteria that are based on sexual
orientation.”
American Cancer Society Updates Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines.
Posted by: | CommentsHere is the latest American Cancer Society Prostate Cancer Screening
Guidelines press release.
Please leave comments about these guidelines, by clicking to comment here
Update Reaffirms the Importance of Shared Decision-Making
ATLANTA –March 3, 2010 – Newly updated prostate cancer screening guidelines from
the American Cancer Society reaffirm the recommendation that men should discuss the
uncertainties, risks and potential benefits of screening for prostate cancer before deciding
whether to be tested. Read More→
Malecare Testimony at Congressional Prostate Cancer Hearing
Posted by: | CommentsTo: The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Re: “Prostate Cancer: New Questions About Screening and Treatment”
March 4, 2010
We wish to thank the Committee for allowing us to present four important issues, on behalf of the thousands of men, their loved ones and their families, whom Malecare serves.
Founded in 1998, Malecare is our country’s first and leading Gay men’s cancer survivor support group and advocacy national nonprofit organization. All who work for Malecare are volunteers. Malecare publishes the worlds’ largest multi-lingual prostate cancer focused website, malecare.org and several online support groups. Read More→
Radiation Accidents–Tell Us Your Story
Posted by: | CommentsRegulators and researchers can only guess how often radiotherapy accidents occur. With no single agency overseeing medical radiation, there is no central clearinghouse of cases. Accidents are chronically under reported, records show, and some states do not require that they be reported at all. Read More→
Least Costly Alternative and Medicare
Posted by: | CommentsIrene Hayes, was denied payment of treatment prescribed by her physician and sued in federal court. Medicare had decided to only pay for the Least Costly Alternative (LCA), a treatment that her physician thought inadequate. As explained in the appellate court’s decision, under that policy, Medicare provides reimbursement for treatments only up to the price of their “reasonably feasible and medically appropriate” least costly alternatives. She won in federal district court, Medicare appealed the decision, and she won again in the Court of Appeals. Read More→
Raising Prostate & Testicular Cancer Awareness on Facebook
Posted by: | CommentsSome fun is going on,which is also raising awareness of Prostate Cancer. Just write “briefs” , “boxers,” “jocks,” or “commando” in your status. Just the word, nothing else. It will be cool to see if this will spread Prostate cancer awareness. How long will it be, when people wonder why all the men describe their shorts in their status.”
We’re copying a worldwide effort started by Breast Cancer activists, who are updating their facebook status with their bra color. In the spirit of emulation being a sincere form of flattery, why not?
AUA says prostate cancer screening is individual choice..
Posted by: | CommentsThe American Urological Association (AUA)’s updated Prostate-Specific Antigen Best Practice Statement first at the annual meeting of the AUA in April, has been published in the November issue of the Journal of Urology.
The statement includes the controversial guidance that the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test should be offered to men starting at the age of 40 years — which one critic has said is not supported by “any convincing evidence.”
The update also reiterates the AUA’s position that prostate cancer screening with PSA is a matter of individual choice.
There is no single standard that applies to all men.
“The single most important message of this statement is that prostate cancer testing is an individual decision that patients of any age should make in conjunction with their physicians and urologists. There is no single standard that applies to all men, nor should there be at this time,” Peter Carroll, MD, said in a press statement in April.
Dr. Carroll is chair of the panel that developed the statement and is from the University of California, San Francisco.
Men should be informed about the “risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening before biopsy,” notes the newly published statement, which acknowledges that there is “strong evidence” that prostate cancer screening leads to overdetection and overtreatment.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/713192″>http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/713192
http://www.auanet.org/content/guidelines-and-quality-care/clinical-guidelines/main-reports/psa09.pdf
If we are to be successful as a cause, each of us needs to make a personal and heartfelt commitment to care about each other collectively… to see every man directly impacted by this disease, regardless of his experience both as it relates to his general human experience and his outcome as it relates to prostate cancer, as an ally and someone worthy of compassion… to respect and embrace our differences and diversity – and to act collectively… embracing all impacted by this disease as one family.
So let’s start here this Thanksgiving!
Let’s be thankful for the time with family and friends – it is limited for those men who have missed their opportunity for early detection and effective treatment and are struggling with advanced disease -and truly a gift to cherish.
Let’s also be thankful for physicians dedicated to promoting quality personalized healthcare that have spared some men from potentially devastating unnecessary side-effects associated with overly aggressive treatment of low risk disease.
Let’s commit collectively to advancing standards of care that support optimal quality and quantity of life for all men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!