Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy at the University of Pennsylvania , Nov 13, 2015

Under the direction of Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, and Tim Rebbeck, PhD, the UPenn PRC, the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network, and the Penn Center for Excellence in Prostate Cancer Disparities presented the Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy at the University of Pennsylvania. Nearly 100 attendees, including researchers, policymakers, survivors, and advocates, as well as physicians and other health care providers, gathered for a comprehensive symposium on prostate cancer prevention, control, awareness, and education.

Dr. Glanz, Director of the UPenn PRC, introduced the plenary sessions and keynote.

Linda Jacobs, PhD, RN, presented at a Survivorship/Advocacy session on the Medical and Psychosocial Effects of Cancer Treatment in Survivors. Dr. Jacobs discussed the shift in prostate cancer research from cure to long-term survivorship and long-term vs. late effects of treatment. She is a Co-Investigator for UPenn PRC SIP 15-001 Self-Management Education for Childhood Cancer Survivors.

A panel discussion, “Research to Policy: Improving Prostate Cancer Outcomes,” was moderated by Neha Vapiwala, MD, University of Pennsylvania, and included Lorelei Mucci, ScD, MPH, Epidemiology, Christopher Saigal, MD, Medical Decision Making, Justin Bekelman, MD, Research and Practice, and Michael Scott, Activism and Education.

Christopher J. Logothetis, MD, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center

“Transitioning from a Prognostic to a Predictive Classification of Prostate Cancer”

Lorelei Mucci, ScD,MPH, Harvard, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University

“Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer Risk and Progression”

Colonel Jim Williams, MS, Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition

“Men: The Silent Majority – Prostate Cancer Advocacy”

 

Dr. Carmen Guerra in The Philadelphia Inquirer on the WHO report regarding processed meats and cancer risks

In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Carmen Guerra, MD, MSCE, discussed the new World Health Organization’s conclusions about carcinogens in bacon and other processed meats and the overall picture for cancer risks.  Dr. Guerra is a Co-Investigator on the UPenn PRC Cancer Prevention & Control Research Network Center

 

http://articles.philly.com/2015-11-08/news/68091045_1_cancer-risk-breast-cancer-cancer-cases

Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy 2015

This one-day CME/CNE-certified conference presents the latest evidence, research, and model programs that are proven effective or being studied to improve prostate cancer prevention, control, treatment, and survivorship.  Therefore, the goal of the event is to engage clinicians, public health professionals, policymakers, and patients/survivors to reduce the burden of prostate cancer and bridge the gap between research and practice.

 

What: The Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy, a continuing education event hosted by The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

 

When: Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

 

Where: The Inn at Penn, 3600 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

 

Registration is no longer available.

As a result, of this and other evidence academies, the team published an article in Preventive Medicine. Read the journal article here.

Calls for Changes to Current Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines

In a recent editorial in the journal Gastroenterology, Chyke A. Doubeni, MD, MPH. makes a call for a reassessment of colorectal cancer screening guidelines.

Dr. Doubeni is the chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Perelman School of Medicine and a PRC researcher, as well as Robert H. Fletcher, MD of Harvard Medical School. 

“The accumulated evidence shows that the risk of a colorectal cancer diagnosis in patients associated with having a family history of the condition becomes progressively smaller with increasing age, as does the association between family history and death from colorectal cancer,” Doubeni said. “Current standards recommend aggressive screening until age 75 to 85, but now a growing body of evidence shows that it is not necessary to continue to screen most older people with a family history that aggressively.”

In light of these findings, for patients over 55—particularly those 65 years and older—who have only one immediate family member with colorectal cancer, Doubeni advocates for screening as recommended for average-risk individuals (colonoscopy every ten years or other recommended screening test such as fecal immunochemical test every year). Those with two or more first-degree relatives with the disease, he says, should continue to receive a colonoscopy more often until more evidence is available.

Read the article here.

Best Way to Counteract Harmful Sun Effects Is To Wear Protective Clothing

Co-investigator of UPenn PRC’s Special Interest Project on Skin Cancer Prevention, DeAnn Lazovich, was interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio. First, she comments that the best way to protect yourself from the sun is by wearing clothing. Secondly, sunscreen, Lazovich said, should be the last option. People often feel invincible when using sunscreen when the best form of coverage actually comes from not exposing the skin at all.

Read the article and listen to the interview here.