The four main urological cancers are kidney, prostate, bladder and testicular cancers. They mainly affect men, although women can suffer from kidney and bladder cancers. Urological cancers are more common than many people realise, and account for 1 in 3 of all cancers in men and 1 in 5 of all cancers in men and women.

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From 'The Press and Journal', Wednesday 10th March 2010:

Scientists have made a breakthrough in the search for new treatments for the cancer which kills nearly 1,000 men in Scotland every year.

Patients were given a “tame virus” which destroyed prostate cancer cells but spared healthy tissue.

The results were welcomed last night by survivors and experts in the north-east, who said they could lead to a completely new way of treating a cancer which affects more men north of the border than any other.

Sam McClinton, consultant urologist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and founder of the UCAN charity, said it was a “promising” step which could offer new hope to patients – particularly those whose cancer was detected too late to respond to other therapies.

Read more: Link to full article in 'The Press and Journal'

From Behind The Headlines - Virus 'Kills Prostate Cancer', NHS Choices website, Wednesday 10th March 2010:

This is early research on a new treatment for prostate cancer. It is worth noting that:

• The virus has already been tested, and shown some success, in treatment for other cancers. This means that the route to clinical use may be shorter for this treatment indication but it will not get around the fact that many more patients will need to be tested in rigorous trials to see if the treatment is better than current alternatives.
• The treatment seemed to have very few side effects, which is a positive sign for a cancer treatment.
• The researchers acknowledge that it is unfortunate that the reovirus did not seem to infect non-cancerous tissue after the injection as this means that it is unlikely that the virus could spread to other areas of the prostate cancer and kill these, in the same patient.

 

Overall, this report shows another type of cancer that may respond to the reovirus treatment. More studies in many more patients will be needed to decide if the new treatment has a place and where that place might be among existing treatments for prostate cancer.

Read more: Link to full article on the NHS Choices website

March 2010 is Prostate Cancer Awareness month.

'Don't let prostate cancer hide' is this year's campaign to help get prostate cancer out in the open. It's a hidden cancer because not enough people talk about it. We can't see the prostate, and many people don't even know what it is or what it does.

Prostate cancer awareness month is all about changing that. The more we talk openly about prostate cancer, the more lives can be saved.

For more information visit www.hiddencancer.org.uk

Seven out of ten men who are at an increased risk of prostate cancer are not aware of a simple blood test which can give an early indication of the disease which kills one man every hour in the UK, new research has revealed.

The inequities surrounding men’s knowledge and access to the PSA blood test were also highlighted through the research, which was commissioned by The Prostate Cancer Charity* to time with the launch of its annual awareness month, in March. Worryingly, men over 50 - the age at which the likelihood of developing the disease increases - from less affluent backgrounds are much more likely to be in the dark about the test. The probability of these men requesting a PSA test is three times lower than those from higher socio-economic groups.

To help UCAN highlight the prevalence of Testicular, Prostate, Kidney and Bladder cancer in our region get On Yer Bike and take part in the inaugural UCAN MoG-JOG.

MoG-JOG is a 433 mile cycle ride from the Mull of Galloway to John O'Groats.

Thank you to all the mad rugby players who raised £4,500 by growing "Mos" in Movember.  Joey Devlin from Aberdeen Sports Massage rallied rugby club members from around the region to grow interesting and unusual moustaches and to be sponsored for it by friends and family.  Prizes for Best Mo in Show and for The Lame'o'award were donated by Joey.