Prostate Cancer: To Treat or Not To Treat? (601 hits)
-- If Faced With Prostate Cancer What Should You Do? Join PHEN's Live Webcast on February 9th at 6pm ET For Some Answers. --
Prostate Cancer: To Treat or Not To Treat?
Boston, MA (February 4, 2011) -- Two hundred thousand men are faced with this question every year and there is no set answer. Men and their families must make this difficult decision during an emotionally trying time based on factors including their overall health, age and the diagnosed cancer stage. Could the right choice for some facing this decision be not to treat immediately but to wait?
The Prostate Health Education Network, Inc. (PHEN) will broadcast its second in a series of live monthly webcasts on February 9th with a focus on helping men make decisions on whether to treat or not to treat prostate cancer. Julia Hayes, MD, a Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, will be the featured speaker. She led a study on the subject with the results published in the Dec. 1, 2010 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" generating lots of discussion.
"Over treatment of prostate cancer is a hot topic and PHEN is intent on educating men on this issue. African American men who are diagnosed with the disease at a much higher rate are at a greater risk of treatments that may not be beneficial," states Thomas Farrington, PHEN President.
Jacques Carter, MD, PHEN's Medical Advisor and Associate professor at Harvard Medical School, will discuss surgery as a treatment option as a part of the live webcast program. He will present the types of surgical procedures and outline when surgery is most and least appropriate as a treatment option. Dr. Carter provides insight into different treatment options during each monthly webcast.
Since 2003, PHEN has hosted monthly meetings at Dana-Farber, located in Boston, MA, to educate local men and their families about important prostate cancer issues, help newly diagnosed men understand their treatment options, and help survivors face issues of survivorship. These meetings are now webcast live allowing a nationwide audience to view and participate by emailing questions to the presenters and receiving responses during the program. The webcasts are available on PHEN's website: www.RAPCancer.org
About PHEN: PHEN's primary mission is to increase prostate health education and awareness among African American men. PHEN's mission also includes efforts to increase the overall support and resources in the fight against prostate cancer that will eventually lead to a cure for the benefit of all men.
