Florida Connection Newsletters

As a survivor since 2005, my primary goal is to help increase 
awareness to what’s going on in the world of prostate cancer.

In doing so, I have done a newsletter for some 
13 support groups in Central Florida for 2 ½ years.

Information comes from credible Internet sites 
and individuals who direct me to other sources.

1. American Cancer Society (ACS): cancer.org  
Information and Resources for Cancer. The American Cancer Society is a nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives from cancer, and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. ACS also has a prostate cancer support group program called Man to Man.

2. American Brachytherapy Society (ABS): americanbrachytherapy.org/index.cfm 
Founded in 1978, the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide insight and research into the use of brachytherapy in malignant and benign conditions. The organization consists of physicists, physicians, and other health care providers interested in brachytherapy. The mission of the ABS is to benefit patients by providing information directly to the consumer, by promoting the highest possible standards of practice of brachytherapy, and to benefit health care professionals by encouraging improved and continuing education for radiation oncologists and other health care professionals involved in the treatment of cancer. Additionally, the ABS seeks to promote clinical and laboratory research into the frontiers of knowledge of the specialty and to study the socioeconomic aspects of the practice of brachytherapy.

3. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):
cdc.gov/cancer/Prostate/basic_info/treatment.htm -- Through the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, CDC has supported the development of Comprehensive Cancer Control plans in all 50 states and in several tribes and U.S. Associated Pacific Islands and territories. Many of these plans include activities to control the burden of prostate cancer. Publications developed by CDC include Prostate Cancer Screening: A Decision Guide (PDF-118KB), which presents a balanced approach to the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening and enables men, their families, and physicians to make a decision that is right for them. CDC also created decision guides specifically for African American men and Hispanic men.

4. CyberKnife Society: cksociety.org/ 
 A focus for the CyberKnife^{® Society is to encourage and enhance CyberKnife adoption and radiosurgical techniques in the worldwide medical community and among healthcare providers and patients.}

5. High Intensity Focused Ultrasoun (HIFU): ^{www.ushifu.com
US HIFU, LLC is a privately held health care company focused on treating primary and recurrent prostate cancer using HIFU, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure which significantly improves patients’ quality of life. US HIFU was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.}

6. Men’s Health Network (MHN): -- ^{menshealthnetwork.org
Men's Health Network is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health prevention messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation.}

7. National Cancer Institute (NCI): ^{cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate  
The National Cancer Institute is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of eight agencies that compose the Public Health Service (PHS) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The NCI, established under the National Cancer Institute Act of 1937, is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research and training. The National Cancer Act of 1971 broadened the scope and responsibilities of the NCI and created the National Cancer Program. The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients.}

8. National Association for Proton Therapy (NAPT): ^{proton-therapy.org/  
This is the Voice of the Proton Community in the U.S. NAPT promotes the clinical benefits of proton beam radiation therapy for cancer patients and their families. Founded in 1990, NAPT is an independent, non-profit, public benefit corporation. It serves as a resource center for cancer patients and their families, physicians and health care providers, academic medical centers, cancer centers, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other federal health care agencies, members of Congress and staff, and the nation's news media.}

9. Prostate Cancer Conditions Council (PCEC): ^{prostateconditions.org/ 
Our mission is to save lives through awareness and the education of men, the women in their lives as well as the medical community about the prevalence of prostate cancer, the importance of early detection, available treatment options and other men’s health issues. To conduct nationwide screenings for men and perform research that will help the detection and treatment of prostate cancer and other mens health issues.}

10. Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF): ^{prostatecancerfoundation.org/ 
The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) was founded in 1993 to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. The PCF has funded more than 1,500 programs at nearly 200 research centers in 20 countries around the world. Its advocacy for increased government and private support of prostate cancer programs has helped build a global research enterprise of nearly $10 billion.}

11. Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI): ^{prostate-cancer.org/  
The Prostate Cancer Research Institute mission is to improve the quality of men’s lives by supporting research and disseminating information that educates and empowers patients, families and the medical community. Material provided by PCRI is intended for educational purposes for discussion with your physician and should not be considered as medical advice. Information and opinions expressed on this Web site are not an endorsement by PCRI for any treatment, product or service.}

12. PSA-rising: ^{psa-rising.com/  
An excellent site developed in 1997 by the wife of a husband who had been enrolled in a clinical trial for men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The site offers cancer information and medical news with pointers to quality treatments plus opinions from men and partners living with prostate. The site includes a blog where individuals ask questions and exchange information. psa-rising.com/blog/}

^{13. Robotic Surgery: davincisurgery.com
Website designed to inform patients and their loved ones about what may be the most effective, least invasive surgical treatment option available today. Here, you can become better informed about different approaches to surgery. This knowledge will be valuable as you discuss treatment options with your doctor. Thanks to a breakthrough surgical technology, there is a new category of minimally invasive surgery for which you may be a candidate. It is an effective, minimally invasive alternative to both open surgery and laparoscopy. Through the use of the da Vinci® Surgical System, surgeons are now able to offer a minimally invasive option for complex surgical procedures.}