TEX US TOO!

Researchers at The Methodist Hospital want to hear about your early-stage prostate cancer treatment decision.

The Methodist Hospital Research Institute researchers are currently seeking prostate-cancer survivors to participate in a focus group study of an interactive computer program. The computer program is designed to help patients think through their prostate-cancer treatment choices.

*were diagnosed with early-stage (localized) prostate cancer after 1998 (sometimes called Stage I or Stage II) and before November 2007

Participants will try out the interactive computer program and fill out a questionnaire.
The study will take place in the Texas Medical Center, and will take approximately 2 hours. Parking vouchers and $25 Target gift cards will be provided.

Please contact us if you are interested in participating and we will inform you of upcoming dates and times…

Subject: Phase III clinical trial seeking participants: ExAblate treatment of metastatic bone tumors for the palliation of pain

As part of Us TOO's continued commitment to bring news of new interventions and treatments for the benefit of prostate cancer patients, I am pleased to share this news with you about a new ExAblate treatment of metastatic bone tumors for the palliation of pain.InSightec Ltd. is conducting an FDA approved phase III pivotal study(BM004) to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ExAblate (MR guided Focused Ultrasound, MRgFUS) for the palliation of pain from metastatic bone tumors in patients who are not suitable candidates to receive additional radiation therapy. ExAblate MRgFUS uses (focused) ultrasound to treat tissue without surgical cutting (i.e. non-invasive procedure). The ExAblate use for the palliation of pain from bone metastases is experimental. The study hypothesis is that ExAblate is safe and effective in the treatment of pain resulting from metastatic bone tumors in patients that did not respond to radiation treatment or who are otherwise unsuitable for radiation treatment, with a low incidence of co-morbidity.This clinical trial is open for enrollment at study sites nationwide.

Date: Monday, January, 11th, 2010
Speaker: Robert J. Amato, Ph.D.
Title: Progress and Current Priorities on the Clinical Management of Urologic Cancers.
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: St. Luke's Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer,Youth Chapel, 2nd floor

Dr. Robert J. Amato is one of the world ’ s leading experts in the treatment of genitourinary cancer. He is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, at the University of Texas Health Science Center.

Interest Group Meetings: New Member Orientation & Recurring Cancer; Radical Prostatectomy & Radiation, Quality of Life and Women's Groups will be assigned to Rooms B227 & B229. You can enter the building from the right side of the Courtyard and take the elevator that is in the Commons to the second floor, turn left and head down the hall straight to the Youth Chapel.

Getting There: Park behind the church. Enter the building from the right side of the Courtyard and take the elevator that is in the Commons to the second floor, turn left and head down the hall straight to the Youth Chapel.

Tex Us TOO is a prostate cancer support group for the purpose of sharing information, education, experiences and mutual support. WE DO NOT DISPENSE MEDICAL ADVICE.

Annual Dues to support the activities of Tex US TOO are voluntary but essential for the continuation of our chapter (suggested amount $30) and should be mailed to 12335 Kingsride, #237, Houston, TX 77024-4116.

NOTES AND QUOTES

Stay active to reduce your risk of prostate cancer: Can an active lifestyle protect a man from prostate cancer? Research reported in the journal “Cancer Causes and Control”, suggest it might… (from Johns Hopkins Health Alert, Vol. 19, Page 107). Much effort has been devoted to searching for lifestyle or environmental factors that might serve as promoters of prostate cancer. The incidence of microscopic prostate cancer (cancer cells too small to be seen except under a microscope) is similar among men in the United States and in all other countries that have been examined. However, the mortality rate from prostate cancer differs from one country to another and even within different regions of the United States.

These differences suggest that factors such as diet, exercise, body weight, or exposure to certain substances or forces influences prostate cancer’s progression from microscopic tumor to clinical significant ones. Some factors are believed to encourage the growth of prostate cancer, whereas others may have a protective effect. A long-term study of men working in the aerospace industry, suggest that having a physically active job may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by nearly half. Researchers studied the effects of occupational physical activity on prostate cancer risk among 2,167 men that had worked at a nuclear and rocket engine testing facility in Southern California between the 1950’s and the 1990’s. Over a ten-year period between January 1988 and December 1999, 362 of the men developed prostate cancer. Compared to the men who did not develop prostate cancer, these men were more likely to have had sedentary jobs that mainly involved seating. Sedentary jobs included positions such as managers, data analysts, inspectors, administrators and senior engineers. Jobs requiring high levels of continuous activity included positions like junior mechanics, patrolmen, firemen, electricians, janitors, truck-lift operators and welders. The researchers speculated than men who are continually active during the day may have lower level of androgens (male hormones), which can be altered with physical activity. If you have a sedentary job, try to compensate by engaging in regular exercise and physically challenging sports or hobbies. It’s good for the heart and could help your prostate as well.

Experimental Drug Abiraterone Can Help Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer: Reuters; 2/16/2010. Johnson & Johnson’s experimental drug Abiraterone can help men with advanced prostate cancer who have run out of standard treatment options, according to results of a mid-stage clinical trial. The latest Phase II study tested it in patients after treatment with both hormone therapy and Taxotere or Docetaxel, the only currently approved chemotherapy to show benefit in late-stage prostate cancer. British researchers said that about half the men given the drug experienced a substantial reduction in levels of PSA. Three quarters also had a drop in the number of circulating tumor cells, another measurement linked to increased survival rates, and five of the 47 patients were still taking the drug and getting benefit three years after the trial started. Abiraterone is now in final-stage Phase III testing. The findings were reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers Approach Cancer Treatment With Nanobubbles: Huliq News; 2/9/2010. A new approach to cancer treatment reveals a technique that destroys cancer cells. Tiny explosions are being used at Rice University to destroy diseased cells, using lasers and nanoparticles, the scientists are able to create “nanobubbles” in various sizes. The larger bubbles, when injected into cancer cells, are shown to destroy them when they burst. When short laser pulses strike gold nanoparticles, nanobubbles are created. By changing the power of the laser, the very bright bubbles can be made small or large. The bright nanobubbles can be seen clearly under a microscope and are used to diagnose sick cells, as well as track the explosions destroying them. A study from last year revealed how the bubbles also help unclog arteries. When nanobubbles are applied to arterial plaque, they blasts through the deposits, destroying them and unblocking the arteries. The new study by Rice physicist Dmtri Lapotko and Rice colleague Jason Hafner, associate professor of physics, astronomy and chemistry, tested the technique on leukemia cells an cancer cells from the head and neck. The tests proved positive when the bubbles not only located the cells, but destroyed them as well. “Single-cell targeting is one of the most touted advantages of nanomedicine, and our approach delivers on that promise with a localized effect inside an individual cell,” said Lapotko, the lead researcher of the project. The new discovery can help researchers improve cancer treatment and cancer diagnosis, which varies according to the type of cancer a patient is diagnosed with. Current diagnosis options and cancer treatment plans are extremely invasive and difficult for sufferers, survivors and caregivers.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift: that’s why they call it the present.” Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

We welcome suggestions, criticisms, and contributions to this publication. This Is Your Newsletter. Please contact Manny Vazquez at (936) 597-6646, or by E-mail, at manny@consolidated.net WEBSITES: Tex Us TOO www.texustoo.org Us TOO International: www.ustoo.org

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On an ongoing basis, M.D.Anderson Cancer Center does offer free prostate screenings every Tuesday. The appointments are limited to 10 patients each day and are held at 7:30 a.m. in the ACB (Mays Clinic) building. To schedule an appointment for a free prostate cancer screening, the patient would need to call 713-792-8924 to confirm.