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NOTTINGHAM
PROSTATE
CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
Newsletter 64
This newsletter contains:A summary of the talk at the last Group Meeting
A report of Newspaper articles re John Van Geest Centre
A guide to interpreting the Gleason Score
A summary of a Prostate cancer UK article
Nottingham Hospital’s Prostate Cancer Open Day
A request for Volunteers to act as Buddies
Dates for your diary.
14th April Group Meeting. Prof Robert Rees from the John Van Geest Centre
14th May Nottingham City Hospitals Prostate Cancer Open day 10.00 am –
2.00 pm.
9th June Group Meeting. Dr Alvaro Bazo talking on Erectile Dysfunction
11th Aug Group Meeting Details t.b.a.
8th Sept Group Meal out and get together Venue t.b.a.
13th Oct. Group Meeting Protection of Assets
Talk by a doctor on his personal diagnosis of Prostate Cancer, his
choices and treatment selected.
Due to confidentiality reasons this article is available to members by email
only.
A guide to interpreting the Gleason Score
It has been apparent at our meetings that there can be confusion regarding
the interpretation of a Gleason score. Nigel Mongan produces this layman’s
guide for your help.
Following a prostate biopsy, the specimen is examined by a pathologist using a
microscope. The normal prostate gland contains densely packed and well-organized
cellular structures. In prostate cancer, these structures begin to lose their shape and
organization and cancer cells look irregular. In the 1960s Professor Donald F.
Gleason was the first to show that how prostate cancer cells look under the
microscope and how the malignant regions of the prostate look different from
normal prostate tissue could give an indication of how aggressive a tumour might
behave. This lead to the “Gleason Score”, where tumors that look more similar to
normal prostate tissue are assigned scores less than 3 and these are often the least
aggressive prostate cancers. Those tumours which look much more different from
normal tissue are scored 4 and higher, and these can be more aggressive.
One challenge to assigning a Gleason score, is that there are often distinct regions of
cancer within the prostate. These different regions can have different Gleason
scores. So the question was, if a tumour sample has both Gleason 3 and Gleason 4
areas present, which Gleason score is better? To address this, the Gleason composite
score was established. In this, the most common types of cancer within the gland are
first noted, in addition to the highest grade/second most common grade seen in the
tumour. So, if the prostate has mostly regions of Gleason 3 and some Gleason 4, this
cancer would have a composite score of Gleason 7(3+4). Similarly, where a tumour is
mostly Gleason 4, with some Gleason 3, the composite score will be Gleason 7 (4+3).
The Gleason score can be helpful in informing how the disease is likely to proceed.
However it is essential to discuss your Gleason score with your own doctor as many
other factors will influence how effective Gleason scores are. In addition there is
exciting research being completed to improve understanding of prostate cancer by
integrating Gleason, genetic and other clinical information to enable better
treatments for men with prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer UK’s concerns for the future
Prostate Cancer UK are concerned that without further funding deaths from
prostate cancer could climb higher in the next decade. Currently prostate
cancer kills 10,900 men each year. PCUK claim that with the ageing
population this could rise to 14,000 by 2016. If screening, prevention and
treatment were sufficiently improved the death rate could be cut by 50%.
PCUK are hopeful that a better test than the current PSA check will be
available to all GPs within 5 years. They acknowledge that the PSA test has
its limitations and so a tool would be built into the doctor’s computer and
would look at the PSA result, the age, ethnicity and family history of the
patient to determine whether further investigation is indicated. See their web
site for their 10 year plan.
Nottingham City Hospital’s Urology Department’s Open Day
On May 14th The Urology Department at the City Hospital are holding an
Open Day between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm.
The event is open to anyone, prostate cancer patients or not. There will be an
opportunity to see the equipment used. Equipment on view will include the
Da Vinci machine of which we have all heard but most of us have not seen
which is used for prostate and kidney surgery, equipment used for bladder
and prostate biopsies, equipment used for Lithotripsy (breaking up kidney
stones) and that used for bladder assessments. There will be the opportunity
to see the theatres, see how hygiene is maintained, speak to the wonderful
staff and receive information on Erectile Dysfunction and various Urology
products.
There is no need to book, just turn up at the Urology department.
Buddies
For many years we have been trying to put in place a Buddying System where
men who have or have had prostate cancer are present at some (but not all)
diagnostic clinics so that newly diagnosed men can talk to men who have
‘been there and got the t shirt’ rather than the specialists and surgeons who
tell how it is but not from personal experience.
Not long ago we thought that things were coming to fruition but for a number
of reasons some potential buddies have had to drop out. With numbers so
low Macmillans who were going to provide some training felt that it would be
uneconomic for them with such low numbers.
If you feel that you can assist by giving up half a day every so often please
contact a member of the Steering Committee listed below. The more
volunteers we have the less of a commitment for each of us.
.