From the Men's Health Network
PSA saves lives, PCa estimate for 2001, workplace health in NY, write VP Cheney
January 25, 2001
In this issue
Military prostate treatment
PSA saves lives, research finds
Black male prostate cancer mortality same as white male – screening is the answer
198,100 new prostate cancer cases expected in 2001
ACS site worth visiting
Write Vice-President Cheney
Workplace health problems for men Workers claim chemicals made them ill.
Clinical Trials web site
(Thanks to Kathy Meade of NPCC for much of this information.)
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Keep your group healthy. Distribute the MHN health screening guideline. Choose "Brochures" in the Book
Store at: http://www.menshealthweek.org
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Write in support of establishing an Office of Men’s Health. MHN makes it easy.
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/omh_letter.html
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How has prostate cancer or prostate disease affected you or your family?
Prostate cancer and prostate disease will affect the majority of men at some point in their lives. The truth is that prostate cancer is the leading cancer among men in the US and the second leading cause of cancer deaths.
The Center for Prostate Disease Research, a DoD program, offers state-of-the art research and therapies for prostate cancer and disease. The Center integrates basic and clinical science to develop new detection techniques and treatments for this disease.
If you are military beneficiary, retiree or dependent, you may benefit from the services provided by the Center of Prostate Disease Research. The clinical program is based at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), with participating tri-service medical centers around the country. If you are eligible for care and want more information, call us to be referred to WRAMC or for information on contacting the other centers.
1-888-340-5410 or www.CPDR.org
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http://www.cpdr.org/psagraph.shtml
NEW DATA SUPPORT NEED FOR PROSTATE CANCER TESTING
Center for Prostate Disease Research A DoD Program, Says PSA Test Saves LivesMarch 21, 2000 -- Two new studies based on data from the military underscore the life-saving value of routine prostate cancer testing, says Dr. Judd W. Moul
. . . "Our data show that the PSA test, which helps to detect prostate cancer at an early stage, saves lives, and should be offered to all men over a certain age," says Dr. Moul.
Currently, federal and military guidelines do not recommend prostate cancer screening using the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test, although the American Cancer Society and the American Urological Association support routine screening for African-American men beginning at age 40 and white men beginning at age 50. The lack of data based on randomized studies of the PSA test has kept the government from establishing such recommendations, according to Dr. Moul. He and his colleagues at the CPDR will be forwarding their data to the Army Surgeon General for review.
"The PSA test can be compared to the Pap smear controversy years ago," he explains. "There was never a randomized study to determine whether or not the Pap smear reduced death rates from cervical cancer. But death rates dropped dramatically once the Pap smear became available. We appear to be approaching the same point now with the PSA test. Our new data can be added to other studies that demonstrate that early detection lowers death rates and increases the cure rate."
. . . . .
Read more about it at: http://www.cpdr.org/psagraph.shtml
and
http://www.cpdr.org/legends.shtml
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This forecast from the American Cancer Societey:
Highlights of Cancer Facts & Figures 2001:
§ An estimated 1,268,000 new cases of cancer and 553,400 cancer deaths are expected in the U.S. in 2001 (page 4)
§ The five-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined is 60%, an increase of 1% from the report in 2000.
§ The National Institutes of Health estimate for overall cost of cancer in the year 2000 is at an all time high of $180.2 billion (page 4).
§ Lung cancer remains the number one cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. with an estimated 157,400 deaths expected in 2001.
§ Estimates for 2001 for the other three leading sites of cancer:
| |
|
All |
Women |
Men |
| Breast: |
new cases |
193,700 |
192,200 |
1,500 |
| |
deaths |
40,600 |
40,200 |
400 |
| Colorectal: |
new cases |
135,400 |
68,100 |
67,300 |
| |
deaths |
56,700 |
29,000 |
27,700 |
| Prostate: |
new cases |
198,100 |
n.a. |
198,100 |
| |
deaths |
31,500 |
n.a. |
31,500 |
| Totals: |
new cases |
527,200 |
260,300 |
266,900 |
| |
deaths |
128,800 |
69,200 |
59,600 |
Read more about it at: http://www2.cancer.org/media/index.cfm?article_id=188&sec=8 My Note: Detractors of the problem of neglect of prostate cancer will point out the obvious: the cancer statistics for other cancers specific to women are missing. However, that is true also of other cancers specific to men or for many cancers that predominantly target men.
Overall, men die of cancer due to all causes to about equal extents as women do. Moreover, the older age groups in men have far higher mortality rates due to cancer and heart diseases than women do. —WHS
Update 2006 07 26 [U.K.]: When one cancer is
more equal than another
Observer health editor Jo Revill recently
highlighted the case of
Bill Elliot who was diagnosed with prostate cancer on the same day
his wife learnt she had breast cancer. But while she was prescribed an
expensive but effective drug, the local NHS trust refused to provide the
treatment his oncologist recommended.
But then breast cancer currently receives 10 times more NHS funding
than prostate cancer. Even acounting for the older age of most prostate
cancer patients,
the
statistics do not appear to support this inequity. There are 41,700
new cases of breast cancer diagnosed per year, compared to 32,000 of
prostate cancer. Breast cancer kills 12,400 women per year while
prostate cancer kills 10,000 men. (Full
Story off-site)
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The American Cancer Society continues to host one of the premiere health sites. For general information, specific date, trend analysis, and virtually any information on cancer, visit:
http://www.cancer.org/
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This action item from SmartBrief, the electronic newsletter of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition.
Do express your concerns about prostate cancer, but ask the VP to address the bigger picture of men’s health by supporting an Office of Men’s Health at HHS.
Send him the link to the OMH Resource Center web site at: http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/omh.html
Let Vice President Cheney Hear From You. Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to take a lead role in shaping policy and strategy in the Bush administration, an unusually assertive and powerful role for a vice president. Let Vice President Cheney hear your concerns about prostate cancer by e-mailing him at vice.president@whitehouse.gov. For details on the new role of the vice president, and to read the Roll Call story, click here.
You can sign up to NPCC’s Smart Brief by clicking here.
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Men continue to account for the majority of workplace health problems and over 90% of workplace deaths. The high rate of uninsured among men (low income men are 2x as likely to be uninsured than low income women) exacerbates the problem.
January 25, 2001 Workers Say Chemicals Used in Mosquito Spraying Made Them IllFive workers who sprayed pesticides for a city contractor last summer to kill mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus have filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, contending that improper training and prolonged exposure to the chemicals made them sick.
In an affidavit, the men detailed how they were repeatedly saturated with the pesticide Anvil during their nightly spraying shifts, while driving or riding without protective clothing on the backs of trucks.
The former sprayers and truck drivers also said they handled and loaded pesticides without training or supervision, contrary to state and federal regulations. Their claims were first reported yesterday by The Daily News.
The men's symptoms included dizziness, difficulty in breathing, headaches, diarrhea, joint pain and shakiness, . . . "All they said was that it was completely harmless," said Leslie Rouff, a diamond setter from Crown Heights who took a job as a sprayer because he was out of work. "We didn't get briefed, except about what the chemical does to the mosquito."
. . . Mr. Gowerie said he did not see a doctor then because he was not covered by medical insurance and did not have enough money to pay a doctor on his own.
His worries now focus on the long-term effects of exposure — effects that experts say are not fully known. "I don't feel good about all this," he said.
"It's left me very nervous and shaky. I'm just hoping for the best."
. . .
Read the complete story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/25/nyregion/25SPRA.html
= = = = = = = Clinical Trials web siteThe U.S. National Institutes of Health, through its National Library of Medicine, has developed ClinicalTrials.gov to provide patients, family members and members of the public current information about clinical research studies. Before searching, you may want to learn more about clinical trials and more about this Web site. Check often for regular updates to ClinicalTrials.gov.
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/c/r
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Support the establishment of an Office of Men’s Health. MHN makes it easy. http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/omh.html
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