In The News

Well-Done Meat Consumption May Increase Prostate Cancer Risk
Research into the dietary habits of about a thousand men from the Cleveland area has found that a high consumption of meats, especially of red meat prepared by grilling, is positively associated with an increased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. This particular study, which was led by Dr. John Witte of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has a number of limitations, but it does add support to other investigations connecting meat consumption with cancer risk.

Toronto researchers speculate regarding a link between prostate cancer and oral contraceptive use
Very preliminary and speculative research, designed to spark further inquires, suggests that there may be a connection between oral contraceptive use and rising rates of prostate cancer. One theory is that the widespread use of birth-control pills in various populations may result in a higher level of estrogen in the environment, which might, in turn, increase prostate cancer risk.

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2010 PCCN Conference Gets Underway September 22

9/19/2010

This week, Toronto hosts the seventh annual PCCN national prostate cancer conference. Proudly sponsored by Movember, which runs a moustache-growing campaign during November to raise awareness of prostate cancer and funds for its eradication, the conference brings experts in prostate health together with prostate cancer survivors, support group leaders, and others who have been affected directly and personally by this disease.

And, unfortunately, those who have experienced prostate cancer comprise a large and growing group. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men: it will affect 1 in 6 men during their lifetime. (Learn the facts by watching the Prostate Cancer Canada videos created for the “1 in 6” awareness campaign.)

The good news, though, is that over 90 per cent of prostate cancer cases are curable if detected and treated in their earliest stages. And groups such as Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC) and the Prostate Cancer Canada Network (PCCN) are getting the word out about the importance of early detection.

The PCCN national conference will build on that success. Over more than three days of inspiration, information sharing, awareness building, education, and mutual support, conference delegates will discuss everything from survivor-group leadership and capacity building to the latest medical advances in the fight against prostate cancer.

Special sessions will address the topics of advocacy, the use of social media, nutrition and diet for prostate health, women and prostate cancer, and how to set up support groups for men with advanced prostate cancer. The session on support groups for men with advanced prostate cancer will communicate the experiences of “The Warriors,” a group that serves the special needs of hormone refractory PCCN-Calgary members. (For the full conference agenda, click here.)

Three Toronto physicians, specialists in prostate cancer, will also contribute: Dr. Robert Buckman, Dr. Neil Fleshner, and Dr. John Trachtenberg. (See a previous PCCN article on these three contributors.) In addition, Dr. Robert Bristow (MD, PhD, FRCPC), who is featured in the October 2007 issue of Network News, will attend to give a succinct medical update from Prostate Cancer Canada. Dr. Bristow, as well as being a senior clinician and scientist with the Ontario Cancer Institute and the Princess Margaret Hospital, is a member of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee of Prostate Cancer Canada.

All told, the conference will offer invaluable opportunities. Delegates who have fought prostate cancer themselves or who have supported their loved ones through this fight will experience the affirmation and relief of connecting and sharing information. Researchers and physicians who have dedicated their careers to eliminating the disease or to treating men with prostate cancer will come to a fuller understanding of the effects and importance of their work.

For more information, see the “Conference Overview” section of this website, which is under the “News and Announcements” button.