Resources
Fred Hutchinson Center Research Center
www.fhcrc.org
The Hutchinson Center is one of the three Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) parent organizations. It has an international reputation for its leading-edge cancer research. Read about the program in prostate cancer research.
Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPORE
In 2002, the National Cancer Institute, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, awarded the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center a five-year, $12.7 million grant to lead a multi-center, five-year investigation into the genetic mechanisms of prostate cancer progression. Understanding how and why prostate cancer can turn deadly is key to developing therapies that may effectively treat men with recurrent or advanced prostate cancer, for which there is no cure. Read about SPORE.
Man to Man, from the American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org
Man to Man is an American Cancer Society program that provides community-based education and support to men with prostate cancer and their families. The program offers free monthly meetings, as well as community education through its speakers bureau, a newsletter, outreach to high-risk groups and more. For more information, or to locate a program, call the American Cancer Society at (800) ACS-2345. A Man to Man chapter meets at the Swedish Cancer Institute on First Hill; call (425) 957-7440 for more information. Another Man to Man chapter meets at Northwest Hospital & Medical Center; call (206) 276-3148 for more information. These support groups are open to anyone in the community, even if they are receiving treatment elsewhere.
Us TOO International
www.ustoo.org
A nonprofit organization started in 1990 by prostate cancer survivors. It offers information, counseling and educational meetings to assist men with prostate disease (and their spouses or partners) in making decisions about their treatment with confidence and support. Us TOO has more than 325 support-group chapters worldwide. Meetings are free and open to newly diagnosed patients, men currently undergoing treatment, survivors, family members, friends and healthcare professionals interested in prostate disease. Locally, Us TOO has chapters in Olympia, Tacoma, Bellevue and Sequim. Us TOO also provides free educational materials on treatment options for newly diagnosed and advanced disease. Check the Web site for resources and meeting times and locations, or call (800) 808-7866.
Prostate Cancer for Dummies
This book, by SCCA’s Dr. Paul Lange and medical writer Christine Adamec, is available at bookstores, and it can be borrowed from the Resource Center on the third floor of the SCCA clinic.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
www.cancer.gov
The prostate cancer section of the NCI web site contains information about prostate cancer treatment, research, clinical trials, screening, testing and more.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
nccn.org
NCCN is an alliance of 19 of the world’s leading cancer centers, including Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. It is an authoritative source of information to help patients make informed decisions about cancer care. Its programs include treatment guidelines for patients with prostate cancer, which are available online.
National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC)
www.fightprostatecancer.org
The mission of the NPCC includes awareness, outreach and advocacy. NPCC manages the nation’s only mobile prostate cancer screening clinic, called The Drive Against Prostate Cancer, to help reach at-risk and underserved communities. Call toll-free: (888) 245-9455.
Online Support Groups
There are a number of online support groups for men with prostate cancer, where you can communicate by e-mail with other men who have this disease. These include: