"Systemic Prostate Cancer: current treatments and controls",  We also have asked Dr. Barker to discuss the new prostate cancer vaccines now entering phase III trials.

Date: Tuesday Evening, January 20, 2004
Location:  Wilson N. Jones North Campus Senior Center, south entrance, 3305  Calais Dr.  

6:30 PM - Social & Coffee
7:00 PM - Program

Speaker:  Dr. Larry Barker, Texas Oncology, Sherman Cancer Center and Denison Denison Cancer Center

Program: We will learn the latest results for the treatment of prostate cancer.
 At the end of the program, Dr. Barker will be available to discuss your particular options.  Also we will have a few minutes to discuss prostate cancer treatments of interest to you based on members' experience who have had radiation, brachiotherapy, or radical prostatectomies.  
Speaker: Dr. Barker is a long time speaker at our meetings, and is well versed in the latest treatments for prostate cancer.

Old Business

 We further discussed the low turnout and what to do about it.  It was decided and accepted by vote of the attending members, to meet every other month.  Our new schedule will be September, November, January, March, May and perhaps one summer month.

New Business

 None.

Program:   "Seeds"

Speaker:  Dr. Gregory Echt,  Radiation Oncologist, 800 W. Airport Freeway, Arlington, TX & Radiation Dept., Medical City    

Program:  Dr. Echt discussed all aspects of seed implantation therapy for cancer treatment.  He will also discussed the usual side effects and the  ways they can be mitigated. In attendance were some members who had Dr. Echt perform seed implantation who discussed their outcomes.

The meeting adjourned about 9 PM.

Henri Plunkett, Program Chair/by the Editor

Resolving Prostate cancer, MD or PhD
2004: A hopeful year for the cure of prostate cancer 
Gleason grading and scoring

RESOLVING  PROSTATE  CANCER, MD or PhD                                            
    As you probably know, most advanced research on the control and possible cure of pc has most likely been done by medical doctors. However scientists who have a PhD in physics are now contributing to the pc field (not for the first time though).  Thomas Thundat, a physicist has recently applied nanotechnology to this purpose.  He has built tiny sensors that will detect trace amounts of everything from explosives to cancer markers to chemical weapons. These sensors called micro cantilevers resemble rows of diving boards each vibrating spontaneously. They can be made so thin that over 100 can fit inside a human hair. The cantilever is coated on one side with a chemical that specifically binds a target molecule-say a prostate cancer related protein. When that molecule sticks to it, the cantilever becomes more massive and then its vibration frequency is drops.  The vibration rate can be measured by bouncing a laser beam off its surface.   Since the cantilever beam sensors are carved out of the same technology as used to build integrated circuit chips, the detectors may ultimately only cost tens of dollars. The sensors have already proven they can sniff out proteins associated with prostate cancer. As one may surmise, this may replace the bothersome biopsy in some cases of pc, as well as many other applications in detecting pc.  Just maybe, the dreaded disease of pc may finally be conquered by use of a different kind of doctor than the medical doctors. In passing, I note also that our editor, Dr. Jerry Bylander, is a physicist.*

*  His current expertise is in the design and application of:  a) electro-optics to ophthalmology - in particular to variable density lens (sunglasses) for macular degeneration and b) to microwire array fabrication for the study of central nervous system interactions.  Researchers use these probes to study drug addiction mechanisms and agonists, hippocampal learning, sensory region control of robotic arms and other applications.          

 Henri Plunkett                  
   

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2004:  A  HOPEFUL YEAR IN THE CURING OF 
PROSTATE CANCER                                                                             
      It is known that low grade prostate cancer is present in 30% of 
the general population over 50. In the great majority of men the disease lies 
dormant for life. In the scenario for elderly men or men in poor 
health, if the indicators are right, watch and wait may be a good 
decision. What you and your physician need to determine is if you have 
indolent cancer. This is prostate cancer that has a Gleason score of 6 
or below. Also there were not more than two biopsy needle cores present 
with cancer, and with these core samples less than 30% core involvement.  
Be sure and ask him about the nature and number of CaP cores. 
Also your digital rectal exam was negative, and your PSA was less than 6. 
These guidelines are the minimum to determine, first you have organ 
confined disease, and second it probably will be slow in growth. HOWEVER, 
watch and wait, really doesn't mean do nothing. You should be working 
closely with your doctor in the situation, and your PSA should be done 
at three or six month intervals rather than yearly, and also your doctor will
be doing digital rectal exams during your PSA exams.  You SHOULD watch 
your diet and eat plenty of lycopene and use selenium supplements, watch 
your level of fats, as we believe these are a leading contributor to minimizing all 
kinds of cancer.   GOOD LUCK......................................henri 
plunkett

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GLEASON GRADING AND SCORING                                            
          The Gleason score is probably the most significant factor in therapy determinations in the setting of pc. As members well know, a score of 7 or above is most disconcerting, because it will be unlikely that the disease is organ confined disease.  Understanding the grading system in more detail would seem most beneficial toward helping a man make his decisions on therapies in consultation with his physician. Remember the primary prostate cells, epithelial, and the secondary stromal cells,  muscle and connective cells, are assigned grades on a one to five basis, five being the most aggressive cancer cells. Suppose the score from your spring loaded biopsy is 4+3 = 7, then the score on the left (4), numerically identifies the primary cells, and the score on the right (3) identifies the secondary cells.  The most important  score is that of the primary cells; it describes why the cancer tends to mimic either moderately differentiated cancer or poorly differentiated cancer. Now to hone in even closer in understanding whether the cancer may be moderate are most aggressive,  the pathologist (who determines the Gleason score from the biopsy cores) will work with the percentage of the scores found. As an example, suppose there were some grade 4 specimens which were found to have 51% or 95% volume, and the remaining ones were grade 3 found with 5% or 49% of the volume. This means that if one has a smaller percentage of grade 3,
statistics prove the cancer may still be organ confined. When you consult with your doctor about your diagnosis, then, be sure to  ask how many core samples were found to have pc cells and what the core percentages were. We are trying to quantify this data to give a more accurate assessment of the seriousness of ones pc setting. Unfortunately, some men's cancer will not be an organ confined disease at detection. In this case, those so diagnosed have a cancer that is growing outside the prostate and these cancers will usually be treated by other than surgery or radiation.  Instead other therapies such as androgen deprivation must be considered.  Therefore your conference with your doctor about the details  of  your Gleason score will help you not to put yourself through therapies designed for localized pc when the data reveals there pc is not likely organ confined.            
                Henri Plunkett

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Jerry Bylander - Newsletter Editor