Welcome to Prospect - a support group for prostate cancer patients, their wives, partners and carers.
Prospect is run by prostate cancer survivors for the benefit of the communities in Bristol and surrounding districts

  • Prospect’s future discussed

    Prospect’s future strategies were discussed on 14 November by committee members, together with those providing advice for the Active Surveillance Group in Bath and for patients at the Oncology Departments in Bristol. They met at the Easton Business Centre.
    Chairman Tim Bond led a brain-storming session to consider Prospect’s strengths, weaknesses, ppportunities and threats. The aim was to create ideas for how Prospect can improve on existing quality of service, bearing in mind our resource limitations. No decisions were taken but it has given the committee a basis for discussion on future strategy. Particular areas that were identified as desirable for us to promote were those currently underserved, such as addressing the specific needs of patients at different stages of P~Ca, partners and carers, and engaging with ethnic minority communities.
    The opportunity was also taken for all those present to receive counselling training from Chris Millett. This was in order to improve individual communication skills, particularly when advising new patients, but appropriate for anyone on a PCa pathway.

  • Testing review

    The NHS will review its guidance on testing for PCa in light of Sir Chris Hoy’s “powerful” call for more men to be screened, the Health Secretary has said. See here  And screening men born with a high risk of developing PCa, once they reach 45, makes financial sense, Prostate Cancer Research says. But it also acknowledges more accurate tests would be needed to justify screening all men (Nov ’24). This view is supported by Prostate Cancer UK. More here

  • Finding the worst early

    A ÂŁ1.5m AI and genetics project by Prostate Cancer UK aims to find men with deadliest PCa early. More here

  • Erectile dysfunction hope

    This report gives hope for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. See here

  • Longer waits

    West patients facing long waits for prostate ops. See

  • New test hailed

    A new test that can detect PCa before symptoms appear has been hailed by scientists. More

  • Vaccine hope

    Southampton scientists are working on a ‘breakthrough’ cancer vaccine. See here

  • Stop a comeback

    Research into stopping a comeback of cancer. See here

  • Minorities diet survey

    This survey explores cancer nutrition/diet resources for people from ethnic minority communities. See here

  • Drug OK for home use

    Thousands will be able to get drug for advanced PCa use at home. More here

  • Meetings/speakers

    ♦ First Thursday of month (10am-noon) coffee mornings held at the Penny Brohn Centre, Chapel Pill Lane, Pill, Bristol BS20 0HH.

    ♦ Third Tuesday of month (2-4pm) meetings at the Macmillan Wellbeing Centre, Southmead Hospital.

    ♦ Friends and family welcome at all our meetings.

    Prospect runs an Active Surveillance group at the Macmillan Wellbeing Hub at the new Dyson Cancer Centre at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. It meets on the last Tuesday of the month.  Leaflet here

    Update on BAWA events: Apology for listing the wrong speaker for Nov 11. A mix-up ocurrred. The next meeting at BAWA wll be on January 14 (7pm) with a speaker. Members are urged to suggest possible organisations where we can try to ‘push’ PSA tests and attract more members. Need a lift to an event? We arrange pick-up points close to a bus stop near you. Email details to prospect.bristol@gmail.com a few days in advance. Lifts will usually be timed to arrive at Penny Brohn at 10am unless the driver agrees to another time. Want details of our group? Email prospect.bristol@gmail.com with your postal address and we will send you an information pack.

  • Dye breakthrough

    A special type of fluorescent dye might help surgeons better locate and remove PCa cells. See here

  • Cheaper scans

    Cheaper, quicker prostate cancer scans just as accurate ‘and can help more men’. More

  • Stopping cancer cells

    This method forces tumour cells into a sleep-like state, say Dundee University researchers. See here

  • HIFU starts in West

    RUH Bath is the first hospital in the West to use non-invasive PCa treatment. Newly-diagnosed men in the region who think they may be eligible for the treatment can speak to their clinician about referral. See here

  • MRI scans: an improvement

    A new study has found magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans used as a screening test improve PCa diagnosis. More here. And here

  • Cancer help sessions

    Join informal drop-in sessions for people with a cancer diagnosis, their families and supporters. Sessions are every Monday 1.30-2.30pm, Thursday 10-11am at the Macmillan Wellbeing Centre, Southmead Hospital. More here Cancer-info-Sessions-Southmead

  • Hormone therapy classes

    Nurses are running free ‘Life on androgen deprivation/hormone therapy’ online classes. Dec 16 available. More here

We are a friendly and supportive network that meets at BAWA, Filton (directions below). Meeting details are in the column on the left. You can contact us via the Contact/Join us link above. We also give prostate cancer awareness talks to interested groups, including those with learning disabilities. To arrange a talk, contact prospect.bristol@gmail.com

Officers and committee update

Tim Bond, below left, was re-elected chairman of Prospect at the 2024 AGM. Martin Webb, below right, was also re-elected secretary. Andy Mullett (second row. left) took over from Paul Williams as Prospect’s treasurer. Other committee members, including Jeff Allen, second row below right, were re-elected. Richard Miles and Mike James were elected to take our new committee up to 12 members and are pictured in the bottom line below, Richard on the right.

 

Just diagnosed? Our group aims to:

We’ve found knowledge is of great benefit to the patient. It enables him to play an active part in the decision-making process, for example in selecting the best treatment See more here and here. Know the risk factors of PCa.  See here

This site has been compiled by PCa survivors. We don’t claim to have specialist knowledge other than that gained by PCa patients during their treatment.

We offer a friendly welcome – join us

Are you just diagnosed, or do you suspect that you may have prostate cancer? Then for friendly peer support and an introduction to Prospect email prospect.bristol@gmail.com  You can join us via the Contact/Join us link above or by filling in the PDF membership form here

The Prospect members’ 2024 walk around Ashton Court

Having the conversation…

“Manversation” is a campaign to encourage men to speak about prostate cancer, particularly the advanced prostate form. Tackle have collaborated with Orchid, the male cancer charity, and put their name to a video and supporting material on the Manversation website.

Myths debunked and spotting fake cancer news

Cancer myths debunked. See here, also here. And here are tips about cancer myths around food. Also here is a link to info on the causes of cancer

New information for at-risk Black men

One in four black men will get prostate cancer – double the overall risk faced by all UK men. Are you are risk? See here And reducing barriers to screening in Black men with PCa – See more here And genetics might explain black men’s higher risk. See here

And a team at UCL London is seeking to understand the unique experiences of Black men with PCa care in the UK. It wants to uncover the reasons behind healthcare inequalities and developing targeted support to improve outcomes. See flyer or this website. And an NHS 10-part series aims to support Black communities to have open conversations about the risk of Black men developing PCa and the importance of getting tested.  See here on YouTube 

Tiger or pussycat? New test found

It’s a big problem to tell the difference between slow-growing cancers and aggressive ones. Now a test that spots dangerous PCa tumours has been developed (Oct ’22). More here

Cancer ‘as unique as fingerprints’

Each person’s cancer is as unique as their fingerprints, said Professor Gillies McKenna, Director of the CRUK/MCR Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology. This created an opportunity for more precise treatment.

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  • Know your risk

    Prostate Cancer UK has a new infographic and booklets.

    Exchange information

    www.myprostate.eu is now also available in English and prostate cancer patients can exchange information and help each other with treatment decisions.

  • Help with treatment choices

    Get enhanced guidance on treatment options, thanks to a checklist developed by researchers (Jun ’17). See. More help here. And why it’s difficult to choose among treatment options (Jul ’17). See. Men with early stage prostate cancer wishing to preserve sexual function while on treatment do not always make the right choices. See

  • Buddies home support update

    This Macmillan service offered support for adult cancer patients in our areas and they have been working on re-starting  face-to-face visits again. The Bristol Buddies service has moved to its national telephone service. Ring 07543 248714 or see this site for support.