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January 2020 Special Edition

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is regarded far and wide as one of the great speeches of all time. Overlooking the National Mall, speaking before throngs of people on August 28, 1963, Dr. King powerfully and passionately gave the crowd of thousands and millions who watched on television his vision of a United States that was one day truly united, having destroyed institutions and systems that allowed racism, injustice and inequality to thrive and survive in King's day.

As we approach another Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, the Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum is inspired to carry forth the legacy of Dr. King by continuing to work toward our dream: a day when no more men will lose their lives to Prostate Cancer. In Hampton Roads and throughout the country and the world, we invite you to share in our dream. Tell the men in your lives about us. Support us. Partner with us. This newsletter shares important events and opportunities we are spearheading or participating in that are helping to achieve our purpose.

First up is our FREE Save Our Men Prostate Cancer Early Detection Event on February 1st.

<<First Name>>, How are those 2020 habits, goals, and resolutions going so far?

The Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum would like to encourage you to develop a new habit in 2020: Annual PSA tests and DRE exams. If you are a man age 40 and over, this needs to be your habit. If you are a spouse, partner, child, colleague or friend of a man in this group, please encourage him to take and keep up this habit. He may be at risk and this simple habit can improve his chances of having better outcomes, if he is diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Our annual Early Detection Event, slated for February 1st and detailed in the flyer above, provides an opportunity for men to get started on their way to developing this habit. Download the flyer, share it with someone you know and click the button below to register today!

Sign Me Up

UPCOMING EVENTS

Prostate Cancer Seminars Promotional Video

This short video features the Forum's President and Co-Founder Mr. Charlie Hill and Dr. Alexander Starodub, Medical Oncologist with Riverside and introduces the Prostate Cancer Seminar Series hosted by Riverside Cancer Care Center. Click the image above to view the video on Youtube. Read on to learn more about the seminars and sign up below.

Over the next 11 months, the Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum will be helping to facilitate monthly Educational Seminars to provide timely and valuable information about the three studies included in this email, RESPOND, COMPPARE, and the METASTATIC PROSTATE CANCER PROJECT.

These Educational Seminars are being hosted by Riverside Cancer Care Center.

Read on below for information about each of these three studies.

NEXT SEMINAR: THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

WHY SHOULD ELIGIBLE MEN PARTICIPATE IN THESE STUDIES?

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?"
- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As you may know, we reported last month that two men who attended the Nov. 23rd seminar signed up to participate in the RESPOND study. This is unquestionably a huge win! You may be asking yourself, WHY should an eligible man participate in these studies?

I'm glad you asked! Eligible men should participate in the studies because the information they provide will be used to help researchers make new discoveries to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Men who complete the requirements of the studies will be able practice the selfless concern for the well-being of men who have not been diagnosed with prostate cancer, especially their sons, grandsons and other relatives and friends.

NATIONAL STUDIES ROUND UP

Your Opportunity to Answer the Call

RESPOND is the largest research study ever to look for answers to the prostate cancer problem for African American men.

RESPOND is working with African American community leaders to make sure the community's voice is heard.

RESPOND needs 10,000 African American men with prostate cancer to complete a survey. RESPOND needs many of those men to also give saliva or cancer tissue samples.

RESPOND participants will receive $10 for completing the survey, $20 for providing a saliva sample, and $20 for giving permission to access stored prostate tissue samples.

HOW TO JOIN RESPOND: Complete the survey by mail or online: www.RESPONDStudy.org

There is a new study called COMPPARE. It stands for "A Prospective
COMparative Study of Outcomes with Proton and Photon RAdiation in PRostate CancEr. This study is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and led by Dr. Nancy Mendenhall at the University of Florida. COMPPARE is asking 3,000 prostate cancer patients (ages 30-80) across the U.S. who have chosen to be treated with proton therapy or photon therapy to answer brief surveys regarding treatment choice, quality of life, and side effects for at least three years.

Patients who choose radiation therapy want to know which radiation option is best for them in treating their prostate cancer, photon or proton. However, the effects of photons versus protons on quality of life, organ function, and prostate cancer cure rates have not been directly compared in a large, multi-institutional trial.

COMPPARE needs 300 African American men of the total 3,000 men to complete its survey.

COMPPARE participants will receive up to $250 for completing surveys before radiation begins, during treatment, and at follow-up visits.

HOW TO JOIN COMPPARE: visit http://comppare.org or email them at comppare-admin@ufl.edu.

Learn about the COMPPARE Study

The Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project (MPCproject.org) is an patient-partnered online research study for men with advanced and/or metastatic prostate cancer. The goal of the project is to generate linked patient-reported, clinical, and genomic data that is de-identified to protect patient privacy and then shared widely with the research community to speed discoveries in prostate cancer.

Both diagnosis and survival rates for metastatic prostate cancer vary a great deal, particularly across racial and ethnic backgrounds, and researchers still do not fully understand why. The MPC Project hopes to enroll and learn from men across the US and Canada, and particularly alongside those who are underrepresented in research to better understand the basis for these differences.

Participation in the MPCproject is easy:

Visit MPCproject.org and click “count me in” to complete a short online form with optional questions.
Fill out an online consent form that gives permission for the study team to send a simple saliva sample kit, obtain copies of your medical records, and provide an optional blood sample and/or stored tumor tissue (if available)

Find out more at MPCproject.org

KNOWLEDGE:

Early stage prostate cancer that has not spread has no symptoms!
A PSA test may indicate prostate cancer early before it has spread.
The digital rectal exam (DRE) may also indicate prostate cancer before it has spread.

FAITH:

People of faith have felt the need to express their experience with and belief in a much higher power especially in times of trouble such as learning they have cancer. Proclaiming the good news seems to serve most cancer patients well as it helps with their psychosocial and spiritual well being.

EARLY DETECTION:

Early treatment of prostate cancer may help some men avoid major problems.
Early treatment of prostate cancer may help some men live longer.