Download February 2015 - the website of Nottingham Prostate Cancer Support

NEWSLETTER
NOTTINGHAM
PROSTATE
No. 57 February 2015
CANCER SUPPORT
GROUP
Welcome to the Newsletter of the Nottingham Prostate Cancer
Support Group (compiled by Mark Petrovic)
The February 2015 edition includes the following topics:-
EVENTS FOR 2015
PCUK NEWS
LIVING WITH AND BEYOND PROSTATE CANCER
INSTITUTE OF CANCER RESEARCH
email [email protected]
Dates for 2015
12th February 2015 – Brief AGM followed by Question and answer
to a panel consisting of Leanne Alder (Oncology Research
Assistant), Short Talks by Ellie Robinson & Kath Lakhani (both
Nurse Specialists), and Kathy Humberstone (Continence Nurse)
9th April 2015 – Colin Williamson - Response Support Officer
(Mental Health) Nottingham Community Housing Association
(confirmed)
11th June – Dr Alan Barlow – GP who will give a talk on his own
experience of prostate cancer (TBC)
13th August – Dr Bazo – Erectile Dysfunction (confirmed)
10th September – Annual Dinner at Dibleys
8th October – Tom Walton – Training Video of Prostatectomy –
(confirmed)
10th December – Xmas Fuddle – An informal buffet and drink at
our annual Xmas get together.
Everybody welcome – especially partners and carers. Any ideas for future
topics, other suggestions, or feedback are most welcome.
PCUK: Prostate cancer drug enzalutamide licensed for use before
chemotherapy – but what does this mean for men?
On December 8th the European Medicines Agency (EMA) licensed enzalutamide, a lifeextending cancer drug, for men with advanced prostate cancer that is no longer responding
to hormone therapy, and who haven’t yet had chemotherapy.
To read the full article press Ctrl+Click on the following link:http://prostatecanceruk.org/news/2014/12/enzalutamide-licensed-for-use-beforechemotherapy-%E2%80%93-but-what-does-this-mean-formen?utm_source=Progress+email+newsletter&utm_campaign=bb836bc60eDecember_2014_Progress_email_newsletter12_16_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term
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PCUK: New NICE decision recommends radium-223, but only after
chemotherapy
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has just released its second
draft decision on radium-223. This time, they do recommend it be made available on the
NHS for men with advanced prostate cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy
and has spread to the bones. But they only recommend it for these men if they’ve already
been treated with chemotherapy.
To read the full article press Ctrl+Click on the following link:http://prostatecanceruk.org/news/2014/12/new-nice-decision-recommends-radium-223-but-onlyafter-chemotherapy?utm_source=Progress+email+newsletter&utm_campaign=bb836bc60eDecember_2014_Progress_email_newsletter12_16_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_74c3
3d3810-bb836bc60e-236714937
PCUK: Prostate cancer risk factors and causes
Could I have prevented prostate cancer?
Why did my prostate cancer develop? Could I have done something to prevent it?
To read the full article press Ctrl+Click on the following link:http://prostatecanceruk.org/research/your-questions-about-prostate-cancer-research/prostatecancer-risk-factors-andcauses?utm_source=Progress+email+newsletter&utm_campaign=bb836bc60eDecember_2014_Progress_email_newsletter12_16_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_74c3
3d3810-bb836bc60e-236714937
PCUK: Could a small step for fourteen experts become a giant leap for
Men United?
Blog by CEO Owen Sharp
I watched the new Star Wars trailer the other day and it got me thinking that science fiction
is getting ever closer to reality. Maybe not Wookies or light sabres (much to every little
boy’s – or even grown man’s – disappointment). But back when Star Wars was first
released, who could have imagined that today NASA would be getting ready to send people
to Mars in the next 15 years or so?
To read the full article press Ctrl+Click on the following link:http://prostatecanceruk.org/about-us/news-and-views/2014/12/could-a-small-step-forfourteen-experts-become-a-giant-leap-for-menunited?utm_source=Progress+email+newsletter&utm_campaign=bb836bc60eDecember_2014_Progress_email_newsletter12_16_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term
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Update from Stewart Robinson, Living with and Beyond Prostate Cancer
I am half way through a 6 week course at Maggie’s, Living with and beyond Prostate
cancer. The course facilitators are Ellie Robinson and Tina Johnson, Maggie’s counselling
psychologist. This is the first time that the course has been run at Maggie’s. Each week has a
different focus and there is the opportunity also to experience different forms of physical
therapy.
Week 1 Fatigue and managing symptoms
Week 2 Continence issues. Tai Chi
Week 3 Understanding the symptoms and side effects of hormonal treatment. Gentle
physical exercise
Week 4 Problems with sexual functioning and impact on relationships. Yoga for men
Week 5 The real health value of activity. Simple circuit work
Week 6 Finding on-going support & keeping up momentum
Reading the list it might seem that Tai Chi is recommended for continence issues and physical
exercise for hormonal treatment. Not so, the complementary therapies will help different men
at different stages of their treatment and what becomes obvious in the course with 10 delegates,
mostly newly diagnosed is that similar treatments affect different men in different ways and
there is no one treatment suitable for all, nor are the side effects best handled by all in the same
way.
The course has 3 more weeks to run and I think that further courses are planned.
Stewart.
You can also say that we now have 5 men well on course for the Buddying Programme at
diagnosis clinics.
The Institute of Cancer Research: Professor Johann de Bono recently led phase III
trials for the prostate cancer drugs abiraterone and cabazitaxel, and is currently evaluating
more than 20 others. He has served on the ESMO board of directors and the NCRI Prostate
Cancer Clinical Studies Group. Team: Medicine (de Bono) Drug Development Unit
Team: Prostate Cancer
Professor Johann de Bono is the Director of the Drug Development Unit at the Institute of Cancer
Research and The Royal Marsden hospital. Professor de Bono leads the Prostate Cancer Team at the
ICR, and specialises in developing new molecular targeted therapies to improve treatment for prostate
cancer patients. He has been involved in developing more than 100 potential new drugs over the past
decade, several of which are now available to patients, and is currently evaluating more than 20 drugs
in early clinical trials. He recently led the pivotal Phase III trials for the prostate cancer drugs
abiraterone and cabazitaxel, which both showed an overall survival benefit to advanced, castration
resistant, prostate cancer patients.
To read the full article press Ctrl+Click on the following link:http://www.icr.ac.uk/our-research/researchers-and-teams/professor-johann-de-bono
Prostate cancer: entering a golden age of research
This year in the UK, more than 40,000 men will find out they have prostate cancer, and the disease
will claim the lives of more than 10,000. Prostate cancer is usually treated with radiation or an
operation that removes the prostate gland, followed by drugs that suppress the hormone
testosterone, which can stimulate the growth of prostate tumours. But in many men, the disease
eventually spreads and reaches a point where hormone therapy no longer keeps it in check. Most of
the deaths from prostate cancer occur when the disease has spread to the bone.
To read the full article press Ctrl+Click on the following link:-
http://www.icr.ac.uk/news-features/latest-features/prostate-cancer-entering-the-golden-ageof-research
Cancer drug improves quality of life in men with incurable prostate cancer
The prostate cancer drug enzalutamide improves the quality of life of patients with advanced,
incurable prostate cancer, as well as improving survival, a new study published in The Lancet
Oncology shows.
The study, of almost 900 men taking part in a major clinical trial of enzalutamide, looked
specifically at men’s experience of pain in advanced stages of prostate cancer. In advanced
disease, cancer cells spread to bone, causing often severe pain and fractures.
To read the full article press Ctrl+Click on the following link:http://www.icr.ac.uk/news-archive/cancer-drug-improves-quality-of-life-in-men-withincurable-prostate-cancer
RESPONSIBILITIES OF EACH STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER
Stewart Robinson
Chairman. Also lead contact and co-ordinator
of speakers and outside organisations
Chris Griffin
New member recruited to the steering
committee
Chris Forde
Treasurer. Also collects members’ car
registrations to enable free parking
John Onion
Establishes contact with other groups and
steering group secretary
Mark Petrovic
Newsletter Writer and Website Editor
Who we are
The Nottingham Prostate Cancer Support Group meets at Maggie’s drop-in centre on the
Nottingham City Hospital campus between 7.00 and 9.00pm on the second Thursday of
alternate months. A raffle in aid of Group funds is held at each meeting.
The Group aims:




To provide mutual support to men and their loved ones who are concerned about
prostate cancer and its consequences.
To receive information about prostate cancer and its treatment.
To share experiences of prostate cancer.
To raise awareness of prostate cancer.

To support fund-raising for research.
Prostate Cancer Support Group Steering Committee
Chris Forde
01509 820122
Chris Griffin
0115 8450291
John Onion
0115 9231861
Stewart Robinson
0115 9226782
Mark Petrovic
0115 9430787
Specialist Nurse Support - Lead Contact - Eleanor Robinson 0115 9691169 ext 54082
Contact us by email at [email protected]
“Buddies” – Patient to Patient telephone support
A number of our members are available to support newly diagnosed men by sharing
experiences over the telephone. Contact any of the Steering Group to find out more.