Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Cancer Survivor Program OutWithCancer Network

The following study is conducted by David Latini, PhD, the Houston Texas Malecare group leader.
The Scott Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine is trying to understand how prostate cancer affects the lives of gay men. We would like to talk to gay men about their prostate cancer diagnosis, what treatments they have received, and how those treatments may have affected their lives and relationships.

The project
Men who take part in the project can expect

   A short phone call to make sure they are eligible to be in the study and to get their address.

  A web-based survey that will require approximately 45 minutes.

    The survey will include questions about how prostate cancer has affected each man’s health and their relationships. Some questions will ask about treatment-related side-effects.

 Eligibility
To take part in the study, a man must be

   Gay

   Diagnosed with localized prostate cancer within the last 2 years

   Able to read and speak English

   Able to receive project materials through the mail and complete a web-based survey

 
All information is

CONFIDENTIAL

To be a part of the study, please call or email:

Phone: 1-877-794-7852

E-mail: CancerOutcomes@BCM.edu

Please visit and consider signing the Petition to Make Prostate Cancer a National Priority at http://www.prostatecancerpetition.org

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First reported on LGBT Cancer on April 2, 2008, http://lgbtcancer.com/chris-walsh-lesbian-health-campaigner-wins-victory-for-herceptin-financing/

Pharmac has decided not to increase its funding of the breast cancer fighting drug Herceptin, despite a legal challenge by eight breast cancer patients, dubbed the ‘Herceptin Heroines’, who include lesbian health campaigner Chris Walsh.

 Two years ago, the government drug funding agency decided against spending up to $30 million a year for the 12-month Herceptin programme for women with the aggressive HER2 positive form of breast cancer. http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_6319.php

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1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach,  because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
   How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
   How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable containing carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
   How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
   How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and antioxidants, which may or many not be helpful.
   How to eat: Just drink it.
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
   How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
8. Sardines: “Health food in a can.’’ They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
   How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,’’ it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
   How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
    How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorievegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
    How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

From the New York Times, June 30, 2008.  Check with your doctor before starting any new diet.

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According to research findings published by Stonewall Scotland, 17% of lesbian and bisexual women have never had a cervical smear test, compared to 7% of women in general. And one in ten of those who have never been tested have been told they are not at risk.

“This report is a wake-up call for all those concerned with Health in Scotland,” contends Stonewall Director, Calum Irving. “It is no longer acceptable to view health equality in terms of social background alone. For lesbian and bisexual women the experiences of prejudice, misunderstanding and at times hostility can damage long-term health and well-being.”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.2383504.0.NHS_failing_nonheterosexual_women.php

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Gay and bisexual men on surveillance or “watchful waiting” for prostate cancer are urged to participate in this telephone survey.  This was last posted five months ago, but, there is still room in the study, so, call today!

The Scott Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center is conducting a study to understand how cancer affects the lives of men on “watchful waiting” or surveillance for their localized prostate cancer. The goal is to create a new patient education program for men on watchful waiting, so we need to understand their concerns.

Participation in the research project will not cost you anything and does not affect your healthcare at MEDVAMC or any other Baylor-affiliated hospital.  You can be a patient at any hospital or clinic anywhere in the United States.

A short phone call to make sure they are eligible to be in the study and to schedule the interview
An interview that will last 60 to 90 minutes. The interview can be in person or on the phone, depending on where a man lives.
The interview will include questions about when you were diagnosed with prostate cancer, how you feel about having cancer, and how having cancer has impacted your life.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the study, a man must be

Diagnosed with localized prostate cancer within the last 3 years
No prostate cancer treatment (surgery, radiation, hormones)
Able to read and speak English
Able to receive project materials through the mail
All information is CONFIDENTIAL

Phone: 1-877-794-7852

E-mail: CancerOutcomes@bcm.edu

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Is there a prevailing idea that cancer patients are mostly older folks?  Let me tell you there cancer -challenged gay and elderly find themselves isolated and alone or, if they are in an extended care facility, among people who share nothing of their culture, nothing of their past.   Out With Cancer launches a new effort to make hopsices and long term care facilities train their clinical and support staff in LGBT awareness and sensitivity.   Please write your stories about hospice and long term cancer care by clicking on our comment page.

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 A young woman who shaved off her hair in tribute to a friend who died of cancer has told how she was subjected to taunts and abuse for being bald.
“I was called baldy and people even called me a lesbian. Girls in toilets in pubs said I shouldn’t be able to use them because I was a lesbian. I just had to shrug it off but I was so angry at the time, said the Edinburgh, Scotland resident.
So, imagine that you have been out for a few years and enjoying a relatively homophobic free, love filled, happy time, and now, as a chemo patient, with your hair falling out, the dark masses start hurling “dyke” at you….not because they see you as lesbian from style or declaration, but because you have lost your hair from chemo. Please tell us your stories.

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The largest ever European survey into lesbian and bisexual women’s health, has just been released. The report, carried out by Stonewall and De Montfort University, reveals  exclusion from routine testing for cervical cancer.

Prescription for Change, a survey of 6,000 lesbian and bisexual respondents, suggests that health services are failing to identify specific healthcare needs among Britain’s 1.8 million lesbian population. They are also failing to address specific mental health needs that many women still experience as a result of discrimination. The survey, the biggest of its kind ever conducted outside America, provides unique new statistics on the mental health, drinking and drug use of lesbian and bisexual women

One in five lesbian and bisexual women were told that they did not need a smear test.

37,000 lesbian and bisexual have been refused a smear test, even though they requested one.

This misleading information has led to one in five lesbian and bisexual women thinking that they are not at risk of cervical cancer.

49% of the people interviewed have not come out to their GP, for fears that they may be discriminated against.

Since April 2007, it has been unlawful for public services to discriminate against lesbians and bisexual women.

However, half of those questioned reported some negative experience of healthcare in the last year.

One in ten lesbian and bisexual women said that when they came out to a health worker, they were either ignored or faced hostility.

“Healthcare workers continually assume I am heterosexual and ask inappropriate questions about my relationships,” said Maya, from the South West.

“I am often lectured about safe sex and preventing pregnancy without being given a chance to say that I do not sleep with men anymore.”

However, the survey found that lesbians and bisexual women are in better physical shape than heterosexual women.

26 per cent of lesbian and bisexual women are overweight, compared to 32 per cent of heterosexual women.

Two thirds of lesbian and bisexual women smoke or have smoked, compared to half of women in general.

Nine in ten lesbian and bisexual women drink, and 40 per cent of them drink three times a week, compared to a quarter of women in general.

They are also five times more likely to have taken drugs; one in ten have taken cocaine, compared to 3 per cent on the heterosexual women.

Copies of the full report and the accompanying case studies are available at www.stonewall.org.uk/lesbianhealth.

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No. 10: Your attitude and beliefs are your most powerful weapon against
cancer.
I believe that deeply. There have been studies that show when you are happy
and engaged and positive, your immune system is at its strongest. When you
are depressed or unhappy, your immune system is weakened.  “The more you live your life, the more life you will have to live (an OutWithCancer phrase) ”

One of ten tips from Hamilton Jordan, the former White House chief of staff for President Jimmy Carter, a well-known force in the health community. During the past 24 years he battled four different forms of cancer and urged cancer patients to empower themselves with information.

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No. 9: Treat your mind as well as your body.
Just because we can’t quantify, and don’t understand the power of the mind,
to deal with disease, it doesn’t mean that attitude and the will to live is
not a powerful, powerful force in the course of an illness.
 

One of ten tips from Hamilton Jordan, the former White House chief of staff for President Jimmy Carter, a well-known force in the health community. During the past 24 years he battled four different forms of cancer and urged cancer patients to empower themselves with information.

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