Abiraterone victory

After more than three years of campaigning, NHS England announced that abiraterone will be available for men in England with PCa that has a high risk of spreading. See

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David McConnell

New officers on offer

At the last Prospect committee meeting in January David McConnell said he was willing to take over as chairman from Tim Bond; this was welcomed by the committee. It was also confirmed that George Crosbie is willing to take over as secretary from Martin Webb. David and George will put their names forward at the next AGM for consideration by the membership. It was suggested that, as there wonā€™t be a Conference in 2026, we might invite the membership to join the committee for lunch at PB after the coffee morning on July 2. Andy Mullett agreed to explore this idea with PB. The committee duly approved the November EGM minutes on our decision to seek charitable status, which will be submitted to the membership at AGM 2026. The committeeā€™s discussion focused on policies and processes relating to membership. Mike James volunteered to work with Andy Mullett in reviewing the relevant processes and assist in identifying and using a commercial package to suit our needs. We used to have a Welfare Officer, but the position had lapsed. It was suggested we possibly should resurrect the post and discuss this further at the next meeting on Apr 2 at PB (1pm).

Life-changing chatĀ 

Talking about PCa, the most common cancer in. the UK, with the men in your life is easier said than done. But a simple conversation over a coffee or a walk in the park could set them on the path to a life-changing early diagnosis.Ā See

Scanning hope

Millions of men could benefit from a new faster 15-minute MRI PCa scan that paves the way to a national screening programme. See

New policy tackled

Committee member Paul Baker has drawn up a safeguarding policy for Prospect. Heā€™s sent an initial draft for the committee to consider. More later

Manage stress

Article on managing stress can be found here

Meetings/speakers

ā™¦ Membersā€™ meetings are held at BAWA, 589 Southmead Road, Filton BS34 7RF and are listed on this page as they are planned. Website

ā™¦ First Thursday of month (10am-noon) coffee mornings held at the Penny Brohn Centre, Chapel Pill Lane, Pill, Bristol BS20 0HH. After some ‘hicoughs’ we have booked until 2027.

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

ā™¦ 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.Ā  Leaflet here

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.

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 in The Times but you need to be a subscriber

Vaccine hope

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

Exciting test

A blood test for more than 50 types of cancer could help speed up diagnosis, according to a new American study.Results show it could identify a wide range of cancers, of which threequarters don’t have any form of screening programme. See

Screening rumpus

A Times article suggesting PCa screening would do more harm than good has led to a response from Prostate Cancer Research to ā€˜set the record straightā€™. They are liaising with the Dept of Health too to make it clear that the evidence for targeted PCa screening is stronger than ever and the cost of inaction is unacceptable. They urge men to write to their MP and the local press, also use the social media and posters/flyers.

Constitution discussed

The Prospect committee is discussing our new constitution. More later.

Remarkable innovation

What if we could see PCa before it spreads and becomes dangerous? Thanks to a remarkable innovation called Less Grey Imaging, weā€™re getting closer. And itā€™s a great example of how your donations help take the most innovative new research from the lab to the clinic sooner..See

Death risk halved

Artificial intelligence tool determines best candidates to take abiraterone, which can halve risk of death from PCa. See here

Good info on PCa

Useful background info about PCa can be found here. And this explains the early symptoms of PCa and those of advanced PCa.Ā Also here is an explanation of the PSA test

Cancer cells targetted

Scientists have announced that they made nanorobots that target cancer cells! And they spare healthy cells, leaving them entirely undamaged. More here

Hope over erectile function

PCa surgery breakthrough offers hope for erectile function. More here

Robot detects cancer

A robot which can take 3D scans deep in the body could revolutionise early cancer detection, say a team of Leeds University engineers. See