Education/Outreach

An Excellent Source of Information is the New York Times Blog on PCA

Free Prostate Screening Services For Houston, Texas

Upcoming Malecare Advanced Prostate Cancer Teleconference August 17, 2010

A conversation about treating advanced stage prostate cancer, with James M. McKiernan, M.D. and Joel Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.

Dr. McKiernan is Vice Chairman of the Department and Director of Urologic Oncology at New York - Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. He treats many patients with high risk cancer diagnoses.

Dr. McKiernan is actively involved with ongoing research programs focused on improving patient outcomes. He has authored and co-authored more than 80 articles, book chapters, and abstracts in the field of urologic oncology. His research and discoveries have been published in Urology, Journal of Urology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer, and Cancer Research.

Mr. Nowak is Director of Advanced Disease and Advocacy at Malecare and is a four cancer survivor; diagnosed with melanoma, thyroid, kidney and advanced prostate cancer.

The teleconference will last approximately 60 minutes. We are accepting your questions in advanced of the call. Please email your questions to: questions@malecare. org

This is the first of a six part bi-monthly teleconference series focused entirely on helping advanced stage prostate cancer patients find state of the art treatment.

All teleconferences will be recorded and available for future listening at www.advancedprostatecancer.net and, starting in September, 2010, at the new, updated www.malecare.org

Conference Date: August 17, 2010

Conference Time: 6:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM CT, 4:00 PM MT, 3:00PM PT

Participant Dialing Instructions:

Toll Free Number: 1.800.868.1837

Direct Dial/Int’l Number: 1.404.920.6440

Conference Code: 786432#

email address for questions and to be on our email list for future teleconferences: questions@malecare.org

Meeting Announcement

Date : September 13, 2010
Time : 7:00 P.M
Place : St. Luke’s Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer, Youth Chapel. 2 nd Floor (Refreshments will be served)
Topic : To be announced
Speaker : Joel Rush, Clinical Nutrition, MDAnderson

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. Women’s Group for Wives and Significant Others, Room B226. All these meetings take place immediately following the presentation.

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.

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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. This 501(c)(3) contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowable by law .

NOTES AND QUOTES

AUGUST IS OUR TRADITIONAL VACATION MONTH. THERE WILL NOT BE A TEX US TOO MEETING OR NEWSLETTER NEXT MONTH. ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

Tex Us TOO Information Sharing:

The 11 th Annual Dad’s Day 5K Run & Walk, held on June 19 th,was a great success despite the scorching heat and humidity. The crowd was enthusiastic and friendly, with all ages, from 1-through 99, represented. This year's final attendance was down from 2009 but was still 988, which was our second highest year ever. The event also saw an increase in Team participation. Many of our Chapter members were present and accounted for both as participants and as helpers, with the variety of tasks required to make the day a success. Our sponsors were invaluable in making the event both successful and enjoyable for all, and also provided volunteers and participants including many as members of teams.

The Tex Us TOO Speaker’s Bureau had two engagements this month: John R. Gealy at the Fallbrook Baptist Church Health Fair on June 25 th and again on June 25 th, at Memorial Hermann Health Center.
Your newsletter editor has been invited again to participate in the 2 nd. Dept. of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program IMPAcT meeting, on March 2011, in Orlando, FL.
The Us TOO International website and “Hot Sheet” can be accessed online at www.ustoo.com
In Memoriam : Our member Rod Hudson passed away last June 5 th.

Understanding the 24 Types of Prostate Cancer: from NewsPulse . On Tuesday, June 29, 2010, the Wall Street Journal wrote a comprehensive piece on the discovery of the 24 different types of prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Foundation heavily funded the research behind the reported discoveries at the University of Michigan and Memorial Sloan-Ketering Cancer Center. These findings bring us one step closer to discovering cures for these prostate cancers.

Key findings from the article include:

This data will result in better, cancer-specific diagnostics that will enable medical professionals to cure more and over treat less—an important goal in treating prostate cancer patients and in the overall quality of healthcare.
Prostate Cancer Foundation funded research led to the identification of 24 gene fusions discussed in the Wall Street Journal piece. Though we don’t have a cure for prostate cancer yet, PCF funded research has gotten us one step closer.
Identifying these fusions will soon enable physicians and clinicians to distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive prostate cancers and prescribe targeted treatments OR proactive surveillance for patients.
The identification of these fusions provides a roadmap to research the engines of these various types of prostate cancer and the ability to develop new targeted medicines.
New treatments are already on the horizon with the financial backing of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. You can read the full article in PDF format at:http://www.pcf.org/atf/cf/{7C77D6A2-5859-4D60-AF47-132FD0F85892}/ProstateCancerQuandary2.pdfand also at: http://www.zerocancer.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11634&news_iv_ctrl=1001

Dogs Can Smell Prostate Cancer in Pee; June 4, 2010 . Proof that dogs are here to save the world? Their super sense of smell allows them not only to detect drugs and bombs, but also cancer, according to a recent study in France. Dogs can smell the difference between urine from men with prostate cancer and urine from healthy men, according to a U.S. News and World Report. The researchers said there must be an odor produced by the cancer cells that they pick on. In tests, a Belgian Malinois shepherd could classify 63 of 66 urine samples by sniffing. If other dogs are able to do the same and the findings hold up, doctors my be able to diagnose prostate cancer through smell rather than performing biopsies. If sniffing becomes an official procedure, it’s unlikely the dogs would be the ones to do the job, the study said. Scientists would develop and “electric nose” to recreate how a dog smells, since hiring a K-9 can cost twice as much as humans. (from a blog forwarded by our member Jim Brandt at:)http://blogs.chron.com/apetschronicle/2010/06/dogs_can_smell_prostate_cancer.html On the Lighter Side: Hilarious You Tube Video from the Prostate Cancer Foundation. To see it, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hvr5FbpgmM

Cabazitaxel (Jevtana) Approved for Advanced Prostate Cancer: HealthDay News; June 17, 2010 . -- The chemotherapy drug cabazitaxel (Jevtana) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat advanced prostate cancer that worsens despite use of a standard drug therapy, docetaxel. Cabazitaxel, approved to be used in combination with the steroid prednisone, was given an expedited six-month review, the FDA said in a news release. The drug was evaluated in a single study involving 755 men. Average survival for those who received a drug regimen that included cabazitaxel was 15.1 months, compared with 12.7 months among those who received a different regimen, the agency said. Cabazitaxel is marketed by Sanofi-Aventis.

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." --Albert Einstein, Nobel Laureate

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

Tex US TOO, INC. (a chapter of Us TOO International, Inc).

12335 Kingsride #237 713-623-4772

Houston, TX 77024-4116 www.texustoo.org

April 2010

Survivors… Friends,

We enter our 20 th year as Houston’s largest prostate cancer support group with some organizational changes. Our mission remains unchanged: to provide education and support to those men and their families impacted with prostate cancer.

From our inception, we have operated as a chapter of Us Too International Inc. in Chicago and have been included in its financial reporting. Primarily for legal and fundraising reasons, we made the decision to incorporate and seek IRS and State of Texas approvals as a non-profit organization. These have been received. We remain a chapter of Us TOO International with access to the informative brochures, newsletters and website information it provides.

Our primary efforts to implement our mission include our monthly meetings at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, corporate and community health fair participation, and maintenance of a telephone hotline (713-623-4772) and website (www.texustoo.org), all designed to furnish information about prostate cancer issues from the perspectives of prostate cancer survivors and medical experts in that field. Our 10 th Dad’s Day 5K Run/Walk was a big success and plans are under way for a similar event June 19 th. Despite the controversy over prostate cancer testing and its timing, we continue to believe that creating awareness followed by screening and informed diagnosis are the critical elements in combating the disease.

Because we operate the chapter on a break-even basis, your voluntary dues ($30 suggested) help defray the monthly cost of our newsletters and refreshments offered at the monthly meetings. We thank you for your support, and would appreciate your completing the portion below to remain in our mailing list.

For the Board of Directors,

Pete Sterling, President	Gerald Joseph
John Gealy, Secretary	Joe Piper
Bill Steiner, Treasure	Derral Sperry
Jerry Boldra	Dean Trierwiler
Jim Howell	David Turner

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MAIL TO: Tex US TOO, 12335 Kingsride #237, Houston, TX 77024-4116

NAME_____________________________________ EMail_______________________________

ADDRESS_________________________________________________________________________

PHONE______________________________

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FREE PROSTATE SCREENING

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.

For information or to speak to a prostate cancer survivor, please

contact the American Cancer Society at 409-938-3191