Download December 2015 - Prostate Cancer Support Group

December 16th
In our choice of guest speakers this year we have tried to broaden our horizons from
just dealing with the disease and its direct treatment. Instead, we have invited you to
hear about cancer-related fatigue, the benefits of exercise, the emotional side of coping
with cancer and complementary naturopathic therapy.
We will continue with that theme at our December meeting when Breanne Yacobucci
will talk about the potential role of cannabis in cancer treatment. Breanne is with Tweed,
a Canadian company licensed under the ‘Marihuana for Medical Purposes’ Regulations.
She will tell us about the federal legislation involved, the steps that someone would
have to go through to access marijuana as medicine and the pros and cons of different
methods of consuming medical marijuana.
Although it may be controversial in some quarters and an idea that some would never
consider, it is nevertheless an option that is now available and may be of help to certain
patients in certain circumstances. It is certainly a popular topic – the subject of a recent
webinar on the Canadian Cancer Survivors Network, covered in a PCC Expert Angle
webinar on ‘The Role of Complementary Therapies’, the subject of many new medical
studies and articles, and the theme of the PCCN Ottawa meeting in November.
If this is of interest to you, here is a chance to get your questions answered. All our
meetings are free, drop-in events and newcomers will be given a warm welcome.
Please join us. We do encourage wives and partners to join the men. Remember,
prostate cancer is a “couples disease”.
In the News:
The controversy over the use of the PSA test for screening for prostate cancer shows
no signs of abating. In 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) came
out against routine PSA screening. The panel cited evidence that screening might do
more harm than good: prostate cancer is often slow-growing, and may never advance to
the point where it threatens a man's life. The two new studies, published Nov. 17 in the
Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that the USPSTF
recommendations have had an impact.
The percentage of U.S. men age 50 and older who had had a PSA test in the past year
was down to 31% in 2013 compared to about 41% in 2008 and diagnoses of prostate
cancer declined from more than 213,000 men in 2011, to about 180,000 in 2012.
Another study found a similar pattern - a large decline in PSA screening among men
ages 60 to 64 - 45% in 2010 versus 35% in 2013.
While some applaud this as a positive step others were more worried about the trends,
specifically that we may be missing patients we want to find with screening -
younger men who are currently not getting screened may have cancer 10 years from
now that is no longer curable. In fact, a recent article in the New York Times argued in
favour of bringing back PSA screening
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/06/opinion/bring-back-prostate-screening.html?_r=0
The author argues that there are now refined screening techniques available to identify
those who will benefit most from treatment, that a blanket recommendation against PSA
testing will only see aggressive cancers being missed and result in an increase in
annual prostate cancer deaths down the road. Finally, he recommends that men insist
on a baseline PSA test while in their 40s (the Prostate Cancer Canada position).
What's New at Prostate Cancer Canada:
For the car fans among us, the 2016 “Rock The Road” raffle features a custom 2016
Audi S5 Coupe worth $119,000. This Grand Prize has been generously donated by
TADA (Trillium Automobile Dealers Association). All of the proceeds from Prostate
Cancer Canada’s Rock the Road Raffle fund vital research to improve the lives of the 1
in 8 Canadian men, and their families, who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in
their lifetime. http://www.rocktheroadraffle.ca/
“Questions About PSA Tests?” Find out what you need to know and what Prostate
Cancer Canada recommends at http://www.prostatecancer.ca/ProstateCancer/Testing-and-Diagnosis/The-PSA-Test#.VRc1lfnF-So
“I have Prostate Cancer – Now What?” Use the resources of Prostate Cancer Canada
to help your understanding and decision making
http://www.prostatecancer.ca/Prostate-Cancer/Care-and-Support-Post-Treatment/Ihave-prostate-cancer-Now-what#.VM1FA2jF-So
For more information on Prostate Cancer Canada, please go to their website and
Subscribe to the Free Monthly e-Newsletter http://www.prostatecancer.ca/