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

  • Meetings/speakers

    Renewals

    THIS is the month when we hope all members will renew their membership. Perhaps some of our friends will join for the first time in recognition of the work we do in promoting men’s health. Members will get a reminder by email.

    Christmas lunch

    This is booked for Dec 12 at the White Horse, Hambrook, at 12.30. Organiser: chrismillett2@gmail.com Coffee mornings are held from 10am-noon at Penny Brohn centre, Pill, on the first Thursday of each month. Meetings are held at the Macmillan Wellbeing Centre at Southmead Hospital every third Tuesday of the month (2-4pm). After some confusion here is an update on speakers for BAWA events: Tuesday Jan 23 Zoe Walker – Macmillian. Sexual function after PCa treatments & possible solutions. Monday March 11 –  Helen Crocker (Artlift), Opportunity for social interaction. Artlift offers creative space for adults living with mental and/or physical health challenges. Tuesday April 23 – Speaker. Sept 10 Informal. Nov 11 Speaker. We have invited Lucy Simmons (NHS) to talk on Focal Therapy Members are urged to suggest possible organisations where Prospect can try to ‘push’ PSA tests and attract more members. Need a lift to any 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 our newsletter and details of our group? Email prospect.bristol@gmail.com with your postal address and we will send you an information pack.

  • Memorial open again

    Names can be added again to the PCa memorial until Dec 10. See here

  • Help sought with study

    Help sought: Gareth McAteer, a trainee clinical psychologist, seeks help from men who have had curative treatment and no longer live with cancer. Replies will be anonymous. Click here to take part:  Any questions email Gareth.McAteer@gtc.ox.ac.uk

     

  • Wellbeing hub launched

    Prostate Cancer UK have created this wellbeing hub to help support you in looking after your emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing. More here

  • Dogs sniff out cancer

    Researchers have found that dogs can sniff out cancer. More here

     

     

  • Trial could save thousands

    Introducing TRANSFORM, Prostate Cancer UK’s £42m trial to find a screening programme for PCa. It’s the biggest and most ambitious trial ever, and could save the lives of thousands of men each year. More here

  • ÂŁ1,000 raised at celebration

    Chairman Tim Bond, Martin Webb and Jeff Allen attended the Paul Maasai (Ayton) memorial dance in Bristol in November. Prospect collected over ÂŁ1,000 in donations from attendees – such generosity. Two brief presentations were given and many conversations took place, raising awareness of PCa. We offered our condolences to the family and were grateful for the chance to help celebrate Paul’s life. Jeff Allen attended Paul’s funeral later and collected ÂŁ133.49 more for Prospect.

  • New therapy for treatment-resistant PCa

    Researchers have discovered the treatment resistance of metastatic castration-resistant PCa can be reversed in some men by stopping white blood cells from being “hijacked” and pulled into tumours. More here

  • Diabetes drug finding

    The diabetes drug metformin could prevent the progression of PCa but only for some tumours which are more likely to develop into aggressive cancers. More here

  • Delaying treatment OK

    Delaying treatment for localised PCa does not increase mortality risk, Bristol trial shows. More here

  • Water-jet treatment

    Water-jet procedure to shrink enlarged prostates will be offered to thousands of men as routine NHS treatment  More here

  1. RunningWe are a friendly and supportive network that meets at BAWA, Filton. Meeting details and directions are in the column on the left. You can contact us via the Tackle helpline, which will put you in touch with us: 0800 035 5302. Or join 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 or 0800 035 5302.

 

Officers and committee re-elected

Tim Bond, below, was re-elected chairman of Prospect at the 2023 AGM. Martin Webb, below right, was also re-elected. Other committee members, including Jeff Allen and welfare officer Hans Brunner, below, were re-elected.

 

 

Just diagnosed? Our group aims to:

We have found that 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. 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 or call the Tackle helpline, which will put you in touch with us: 0800 035 5302. You can join us for a small subscription by filling in the PDF membership form here

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. 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 US research is addressing the disparity by focusing on identifying which genetic elements in Black men may lead to a higher risk of developing and dying from PCa. See here

Tiger or pussycat? New test found

It’s a big problem to tell the difference between slow-growing cancers and aggressive ones. See here  Now a test that spots dangerous PCa tumours has been developed. In a trial, Cambridge University researchers attached a non-radioactive form of carbon to a sugar-like molecule and injected it into a vein near the tumour. They found that if the carbon was retained by the tumour, it indicated the cancer is aggressive (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.