NEWSLETTER
No.38. September, 2005
Editor: John Conroy
1. COMING EVENTS HELP!
SEPTEMBER IS - - - NATIONAL PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH!
Here is the program for our Public Awareness Campaign for the month:
Thursday, 1 September, 10.00am.: 'Adam's Apple' - an Older Men's Health Forum, Dee Why RSL.
Saturday, 3 September, 10.30am.: Dee Why Village Plaza
5 - 9 September: - Manly Council Chambers
Thursday, 8 September, 5.30pm.: Manly-Warringah Master Builders' Club, Dee Why
Friday, 9 September, 5.30pm.: Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale
Saturday, 10 September, 10.30am.: Warringah Mall
12 - 16 September: - Warringah Council Chambers
Saturday, 17 September, 10.30am.: Forestway Shopping Centre
19 - 23 September: - Pittwater Council Chambers
Thursday, 22 September, 5.30pm.: Manly-Warringah Master Builders' Club
Friday, 23 September, 5.30pm.: Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale
Saturday, 24 September, 10.30am.: Warriewood Square
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED to 'man' an information table at each location, and to hand out leaflets. Please support your Group's initiative. If you can spare an hour or two on one of these days at one of the venues, give John Conroy a call [or leave a message] on 9918 9358 or send an e-mail to: conroyjs@bigpond.com
THANKS!
Let's make Northern Beaches men the best informed about Prostate Health!
COMING EVENTS [continued]
6.30 pm, Tuesday, 6 September
Dr Michael Izard [Sydney Radiology, Mater Hospital, North Sydney]: Update on Brachytherapy -technology and treatment.
In April, 2003, Dr Izard spoke to our members on Brachytherapy procedures. Last year, Sydney Radiology installed state-of-the-art equipment at the Mater Hospital and Dr Izard will be bringing us up-to-date on what this new technology can do. His presentation will be informal, and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions from the floor.
Dr Izard's team also very generously donated funds to enable us to establish our website.
2. Report of the Meeting Held on Tuesday,1 February:
Apologies were received from Graham Clark, Una Conroy, Richard Darmopil, Chris Lowe and Jo-Ann Steeves.
This was our first attempt at an off-site meeting, and we were pleased with the number who managed to find their way to the Institute for Magnetic Resonance Research [IMRR] through the the maze of Royal North Shore Hospital buildings. Thanks to Dr Roger Bourne and Dr Cynthia Lean who hosted our visit.
Dr Bourne introduced us, through a well-constructed power-point presentation, to the work being done at the Institute. For many years a biopsy was used to obtain a chemical map of different types of tissue which were then compared and classified for the pathology of the tissue. Ideally it is desirable to do this on the patient non-invasively. Researchers know the chemicals they are looking for; the trick is to make the technology work with a whole body scanner. The aim of Magnetic Resonance Imaging [MRI] is to look at the whole body. Although a rather frightening endo-rectal coil is inserted into the patient, the process is otherwise non-surgical.
Cancer is a malignant change in the structure of tissue. It is the change in the biochemistry of the tissue which causes this malignant change.
There are two uses for MRI:
a] imaging looking at the water [which constitutes over 90%] in body tissue. The imaging comes from the hydrogen atoms in the water molecules.
b] spectroscopy looking at the weaker signal from hydrogen atoms [which are 10 000 times less concentrated than water]. This is a less sensitive technique. However, it reveals the biochemistry of the tissue.
A Transrectal Ultrasound [TRUS] is usually part of the biopsy procedure for detecting Prostate Cancer. During the biopsy, from six to twelve samples are taken. These are 2mm in diameter and 12-18 mm long. However, the ultrasound is not always helpful. The TRUS biopsy can miss from 10% to 30% of the cancer; - 70% of Prostate Cancers are in the peripheral zone [which is against the rectum] of the Prostate Gland. It may take 2-3 years for the cancer to show. The biopsy goes to the pathologist, but he/she doesn't examine all of it, so another sample error is possible. Also, ultrasound gives no clear picture of the neuro-bundles. On the other hand, MRI gives a much clearer image to help the surgeon. However, Prostatitis and Prostate Cancer both show on the image and can't always be distinguished. The scanner process consists of 5 minutes of imaging and 15 minutes spectroscopic analysis for the entire Prostate. The spectroscope analysis looks at the hydrogen nuclei and gives a comparison of the chemical composition of the normal and cancerous tissue and identifies unusual concentrations of chemicals. The data can then be matched with the pathology of tissue when it is removed. A typical Prostate Cancer scan takes 45 minutes. It is often given with Valium to ease anxiety caused by the noise of the machine.
A biopsy taken from the Prostate is fast and accurate. The biopsy done with the MRI scanner improves the biopsy sensitivity but, on the other hand, lacks sensitivity for small foci cancers. It also lacks specificity for discrimination between cancer and inflamation. The technique is not yet at a stage of MRI only and no TRUS biopsy.
IMRR works with the Siemen company for the development of equipment. It deals with other cancers as well, with Parkinsons Disease, and is used for detecting metastases by looking at the lymph nodes first.. The IMRR is also hoping to start clinical trials to give urologists a spectroscopic map and a biopsy taken with ultrasound guidance.
The visit ended with a visit to the MRI laboratory. We gazed in awe at the machine, but from the doorway only, in case any metal objects on our persons upset the delicate magnetic balance of the scanner.
3. New strategies for gene therapy of prostate cancer.
[Lecture given by Professor Pamela J Russell, [Director, Oncology Research Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital] at the Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Monday 1 August, 2005.]
This lecture, by an eminent and internationally recognised medical researcher, was one of a series at RPA Camperdown for other medical researchers so I, being an engineer, went along expecting to understand little, if any, of what was presented. My expectations were fulfilled!
However, some broad conclusions are very interesting. First, scientists and medicos are doing world-leading research into prostate cancer right here in Sydney. Second, their research is getting very encouraging results.
Professor Russell described two distinct approaches. The first would involve injecting directly into the cancer in the patient’s prostate. This work was done by collaboration between those at the Prince of Wales Hospital (PoW) and several other organisations, both research and commercial. It appeared that this was about to go for clinical trials, but the commercial backer decided not to go ahead, and for intellectual property reasons the PoW team cannot explore this approach any further.
The second approach, which Prof Russell described as 'exciting', involves a process which causes the body to develop antibodies targeted at fighting its own particular cancer. Good results are being obtained in the laboratory.
Completion of this work is clearly some years off. However, for those of us who at present have no sign of recurrence, but who are anxious about the chance of that happening in the future, this development and others like it elsewhere in the world offer a real hope. This hope will be even stronger for men who first develop prostate cancer at some time in the future, as the prospects of further developments must be very good.
Mark Tweeddale
4. NBPCSG PUBLICATIONS
Enclosed with your Newsletter are copies of three Pamphlets produced by your Support Group:
1. Prostate Cancer Support Group - Northern Beaches
2. The Healthy Man's Guide to Prostate Problems
3. I've just been told I've got Prostate Cancer
Please give these to any of your friends, family or anyone else who might be interested. You can get more copies by contacting John Conroy on 9918 9358 or by e-mail at: conroyjs@bigpond.com
For Prostate Cancer Awareness Month we have also had bar coasters and abookmark printed.
5. CANCER COUNCIL PHONE-IN - 8 SEPTEMBER
Also enclosed with the Newsletter is a leaflet about the NSW Cancer Council Prostate Cancer Call-in on Thursday, 8 September from 9.00am to 9.00pm. Please pass on the information to anyone whom you think might be interested.
6. INFORMATION UPDATE
a. Publications Received
Issue 15 [Winter, 2005] of The Healthy Male; Andrology Australia. This issue focuses on results of the recent 'Men in Australia Telephone Survey' [MATeS].
MATeS - Examining the Reproductive Health of Middle-Aged and Older Australian Men. 2005; Andrology Australia.
Cancer Voices News [Issue 19, June, 2005]. This issue highlights various items of interest to 'cancer consumers'.
Secret Men's Business. Transcript of the '60 Minutes' program televised on Channel 9 on Sunday, 14 August, 2005.
Incontinence device set to undergo trials. ABC Broadband News item, Monday, 8 August, 2005.
Us Too, - Prostate Cancer Education and Support. Hot Sheet. [July, 2005; August, 2005] Us Too international, Illinois, USA.
Copies of these publications are now available in the Library.
b. Courses
i] Cancer Consumer Advocacy Training Workshop. [Cancer Council, NSW]
9 -10 September; Northcott Centre, North Parramatta.
Spaces available for participants from Support Groups.
Contact Sarah Ford: 9334 1753 or sarahf@nswcc.org.au
ii] Cancer Survivorship [Centre for Values Ethics & the Law in Medicine, Sydney University]
13 October, 6.30pm; Sydney University Wanted: male to tell his story of survivorship for 10-15 minutes.
Contact Catherine McGrath: 9351 3950 or catherinem@med.usyd.edu.au