Prostate Cancer Canada

Prostate Cancer

For more information visit
www.movember.com

In The News

Prostate Cancer Awareness Day at BC Legislative Assembly
VICTORIA, May 4, 2012- On Monday, May 7, Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC) will host their first Legislative Assembly Day to promote education and awareness of prostate cancer in British Columbia.

Media Advisory - Prostate Cancer Canada celebrates local Halifax hero
HALIFAX, April 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Please join Prostate Cancer Canada and members of the Halifax business community as we celebrate a local hero who has made an extraordinary contribution in the fight against prostate cancer through courage, inspiration and dedication.

Click For Information Archive

Experimental and Alternative Therapies

Hundreds of experimental and alternative therapies for prostate cancer are being studied around the world. A few of these potential treatments are summarized here:

Gene Therapy
Genes that have been specifically created to treat disease are inserted into cells. The Toronto General Hospital is testing one type of gene therapy to improve a man’s odds after prostatectomy. Sometimes prostate cancer returns even after the prostate has been removed because small numbers of cancer cells have already spread to other parts of the body before surgery. Researchers are testing a gene therapy which is used a month before surgery and encourages the body to kill cancer cells that have spread beyond the prostate. This research is still in early stages but the results so far are hopeful.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)
HIFU is an acoustic ablation technique that uses intersecting, precision focused ultrasound waves to raise the temperature of the target tissue to more than 80 to 90 degrees Celsius in two to three seconds, destroying the targeted cancerous tissues.

HIFU Facts:

a non-invasive therapy device that is available in Canada, Mexico, Europe, parts of Asia and the Dominican Republic
used to treat localized prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or prostate enlargement
has been used in Japan and Europe for over 10 and five years, respectively
treatments are not covered by provincial health insurance in Canada, as of September 2006

There are two standards of HIFU delivery approved for use in Canada: Sonablate and Albatherm.

Clinical Trials
For more information on clinical trials in prostate cancer, please visit www.emergingmed.com or http://canadatrials.com which provide comprehensive listings of prostate cancer clinical trials underway in Canada.

For information linking Canadians to cancer services, information and resources visit: www.cancerview.ca