European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Prostate cancer Early detection key Factor in survival by Shari Roan los Angeles times hat men with prostate cancer need is someone like Betty Ford a says Norman Gollin founder of a support group for prostate cancer patients based in Santa Monica Calif. After Ford announced in 1974 that she had breast cancer the number of women seeking mammography soared funds for breast cancer research increased and new treatment options followed within a decade. With or without a famous advocate leading the Way members of Gollins group say that they Are determined to generate the information support and political Power for men with prostate cancer that has Long been available to women with breast cancer. They admit they have a Long Way to go. The prostate cancer group which meets under the auspices of the Santa Monica wellness Community is part of a grass roots network forming nationwide in the United states. Its under the leadership of an organization in Michigan patient advocates for advanced cancer treatment. The groups atm is to help members beat prostate cancer and raise Public consciousness about the disease s High incidence and severity Gollin says. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and is the second leading cancer killer of men lung cancer is first. One in 11 american men will develop the disease 30,000 die from it each year. Quot there is very Little said publicly about prostate cancer a says Gollin 71, a graphic designer who was diagnosed with the disease two years ago. Quot but there is so much conflicting information on prostate cancer treatment. I think we re All just hungry for  several factors have combined to leave men with prostate cancer without the resources available to individuals with breast or lung cancer Gollin says. One Factor is the complexity of prostate cancer which leaves Many patients feeling helpless and the medical Community divided about the Best approach to treatment. Another Factor is that prostate cancer patients also blame themselves. Men Are generally unwilling to talk about prostate cancer with each other or with their physicians a thereby increasing awareness a because the disease raises sensitive issues such As aging and sexuality. Quot in this culture men have not always been brought up to share their doubts and fears with other men. That makes what we do especially important Quot says Mort Fine 73, a retired writer and producer who helped found the group with Gollin. Lloyd Ney who formed the National group pact six years ago puts it bluntly Quot a Man has to maintain his Macho image even if it kills him. They done to come a out and acknowledge prostate cancer. They done to have their annual physical examinations to catch it in its Early stages when its  like breast cancer prostate cancer is highly curable if caught Early but can be deadly when diagnosed at an advanced stage. Breast cancer can be detected through mammography self examination or a physicians examination. The options Are fewer for men prostate cancer can be detected in an Early stage through a rectal examination. The prostate is a Walnut size Organ resting above the bladder that can be Felt through the Wall of the rectum. The gland secretes fluid that makes up part of the semen. Survival rates have improved since the 1940s. More than 80 percent of patients whose tutors Are diagnosed at an Early stage Are alive five years after treatment. Prostate cancer usually spreads without symptoms making Early detection by rectal examination crucial. But a National cancer Institute report showed that Only 50 percent of White men and 35 percent of Black men have had a prostate exam for screening. The american cancer society recommends that prostate gland a prostate gland male genital Organ the size of a Walnut located just below the bladder it secretes the fluid that carries sperm. Rectum prostate cancer a third leading cause of cancer death in men a 30,000 deaths a year a one out of 11 men will develop the disease a Black american men have highest rate of incidence in world a 15% increase in cancer rate since 1970 urethra area of prostate gland prostate biopsies a until recently physicians relied on physical examination to detect prostate problems. Now ultrasound imaging is being used to evaluate the gland and surrounding area. The instrument about the size of a Finger sends High frequency sound Waves through the gland. The returning sound Waves Are reconstructed by a computer into a picture of a prostate gland which appears on a Monitor similar to a to screen. \ inflamed prostate t enlargement Chicago Tribune graphic by Terry Volpp sources Chicago Tribune news reports american cancer society men older than 40 have a rectal exam each year. Even funding for research on prostate cancer lags behind other More publicized diseases Gollin says. The Federal government will spend an estimated $77 million on breast cancer research this year but $13.2 million for prostate cancer research the National cancer Institute says. Breast cancer affects about 150,000 women compared to 100,000 prostate cancer patients. But for reasons unclear prostate cancer rates continue to increase in the United states an increase of about 15 percent since 1970. The disease is most common in men Over age 70 but can occur in men As Young As 40. Condom us knowledge does no to always influence behaviour by Ken sugar United press International when it comes to condom use knowledge does not always Lead to action. A government study recently found women and men generally shun condoms although both sexes know it helps prevent the spread of aids. By forgoing condoms women appear willing to risk peril for pleasure during sex while alcohol and drug use Are key obstacles to Safe sex among men said researchers at the Federal centers for disease control in Atlanta which conducted the study. A Survey of 341 people carried out at a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases in san Francisco found Only one Quarter of respondents said they had used a condom during their last sexual encounter. However 96 percent of the women and 97 percent of the men knew condoms offer Protection against aids transmission. The study found Black women much less Likely than White women to require condom use and minorities of both sexes the most lax about unprotected sex. Quot i think one of the most striking things from the study is that the knowledge about condoms effectiveness is there a even in the std sexually transmitted diseases clinic population a but that rates of condom use Are still Low especially among minorities Quot said or. Hilliard Weinstock the cd epidemiologist who wrote the study. The women surveyed gave As their no. 1 reason for not using condoms the belief that the sheaths interfered with sexual pleasure. The second most frequent reason was that the women had a steady sexual partner. A partner s unwillingness to Wear condoms was third followed by alcohol and drug use during or prior to sex. The men in the study who were least Likely to use condoms were those who said they had used alcohol or drugs during their last sexual encounter. The cd researchers found partner unwillingness was the second most frequent reason for the men to avoid condoms followed by reduction in sexual pleasure and having a steady partner. The Survey found White women were More than twice As Likely As Black or hispanic women to use a condom and White men were about 60 percent More Likely than Black men to use one. The factors that did not appear to play a significant role in decisions about condom use included past history of a sexually transmitted disease total number of sex partners the perceived risk of acquiring aids and attitude of Peers about condom use. The Survey also found that age income education and knowing someone with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome appeared to play no part in condom use. Page 16 the stars and stripes tuesday october 16,1990 researchers said the study results coincided with prior surveys that also showed Low condom use indicating most people were not acting on the repeated warnings of health officials. A we do know that preventive interventions like family planning and sex education programs Impact knowledge but they done to necessarily change behaviour Quot said Susan Tew spokeswoman for the Alan Guttmacher Institute a new York reproductive health organization. Tew said a Survey of condom use her organization conducted which focused on condom use As a contraceptive strategy found Many women said they did not use condoms primarily because they were perceived to be a relatively ineffective form of birth control. In the 1986 Survey of 760 women the Quot intrusiveness Quot of condoms during sex was the second most frequently Given reason for avoiding their use followed by partner unwillingness Tew said. She said the Quot in Between step Quot needed Between sex education and Safe sex practices is Quot changing attitudes because attitudes can very much dictate behaviour. We see this in Many other Behaviours such As smoking. People know the risks of smoking but they done to necessarily  the cd cd a Weinstock said the statistics clearly indicate better education on condom use is needed. Quot i think we need to develop educational efforts that Are culturally sensitive to minorities Quot he said. Quot we need to make using condoms More acceptable and we need to provide patients with skills to negotiate condom use with their