Movember 2015, Time to grow mustaches

I am in the move again. Unfortunately in Portugal not many know the meaning of a moustache in terms of prostate cancer. The Portuguese PCa association are not that involved in awareness events. Here, usually we see PCa men pinned with pink ribbons in breast cancer events.

This year I may hung a blue rinbbon in my next moustache to cause people's awareness.

Will Doran said:

Trying Hard

VG,

Thanks for the reminder.  I "started" to try and grow a Moustache, starting yesterday (10/25).  I thought I'd better give it a head start.  I tried this last year after less than a year on the Lupron.  It grew so slow that what took a week to grow was what it used to take a day to grow..  So, I'm "trying hard" to grow  "stash".  I might gain a days growth by mid November.  I'll give it a try, again this year. 

Also wearing Light Blue  (Prostate Cancer), and Black (Melanoma) wrist bands.  People will ask what they represent, so it gives me a chance to tell them what we are dealing with.

Best wishes to all in the fight and the growing of beards. May we all live to see next year's Movember, and many more.

Will

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hopeful and optimistic said:

The Movember campaign: Impact on referral patterns and diagnosis

The Movember campaign: Impact on referral patterns and diagnosis of prostate cancer.

 

 

The aims of the present study were to investigate referral patterns and the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) before and after the Movember campaign was initiated in Denmark.

All men (n=2817) referred to the Department of Urology at Frederiksberg Hospital with suspicion of having PCa in the period 1 January 2007-31 January 2014 were identified.

Based on the referral date, patients were categorised as pre-Movember (1 January 2007-31 January 2011) and Movember (1 February 2011-31 January 2014), respectively. Annual referral-rates/100. 000 inhabitants were calculated and compared with rate-ratio (RR) tests.

The median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) at referral dropped significantly from 9. 8 ng/mL in 2007-2011 to 7. 9 ng/mL in 2011-2014, p < 0. 001. The incidence rate of men referred with suspicion of PCa increased from 134/100. 000 in the pre-Movember period to 168/100. 000 in the Movember period (RR 1. 25 [95% CI 1. 16-1. 35]). In contrast to what we anticipated, there was no increase in referral in the months following the campaign. The incidence rates of men diagnosed with PCa and low-risk PCa were similar in the Movember period and the pre-Movember period (PCa: RR 1. 08 [0. 97-1. 21]; low-risk PCa: RR 1. 29 [0. 98-1. 73]).

After the initiation of the Movember campaign a significant decline in the PSA level at referral and an increase in the number of patients referred under suspicion of PCa was observed; however, only minor differences in referral patterns and PCa diagnosis were detected. The results indicate that the Movember campaign had a limited immediate effect on referral, however, it may have contributed to an increased awareness of PCa.

Scandinavian journal of public health. 2015 Oct 28 [Epub ahead of print]

Frederik B Thomsen, Marta K Mikkelsen, Rikke B Hansen, Klaus Brasso

Department of Urology, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark thomsen. frederik@gmail. com. , Department of Urology, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark. , Department of Urology, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark. , Copenhagen Prostate Cancer Center, Department of Urology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

PubMed

 

 

 

My Movember contribution, to date -- max.  I am 59, but am commonly assumed to be about 70. Not bad, since I feel 105 !

My general surgeon told me yesterday that indeed my DeVinci incision is badly herniated, and I will have to receive reparative surgery on Dec 3.  Using lapro technique, and will put a mush under the tear, from the inside. Buldge is growing almost daily, and hurts now.

The general surgeon (he is not a urologist) said that this occures in about 10% of DaVinci prostectomies, but I do not recall ever reading of such a herniation here before, so my guess is that it is actually less common than that.  I had had an appendectomy four years before, and that is pulled through the naval. He mentioned that since the area had received surgery and serious stretching in the past, my abdominal tissue might have been weaker than most from the get-go.  

Oh well... back to the legal morphine and pretty nurses....

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 said:

Heros of this Board

Thanks, Old Salt and Hopeful.  I think I copped a little "attitude," but my attitude toward the DaVinci is always thanksgiving.  I know I am blessed that the cancer is gone: glad I had the DaVinci, would do it again.  I do not doubt that IGRT or Cyber, in my case, would have worked as well with fewer side-effects however.  

A little hernia, in the big picture, is trivial.   I also suspect that the "10%" number is perhaps arbitrary, since as I said, I had never heard it before. When I called my urologist several months ago , the RN told me that these herniations "happen sometime, but usually do not require surgery." I'll take his word for it. 

Thank you,

max

Coming in a little late in this discussion but FWIW I found one study that found a 5.3% risk of an incisional hernia following laproscopic prostatectomy and only a 1.9% risk following open surgery.  Not as high as the 10% risk that your surgeon stated but still significant IMO.

See: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3810995/ 

HOWEVER, for ALL laparoscopic surgeries generally it has been reported that wound failure occurs at a rate as high as 11% !!!!!

See: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1892407-overview

I've had 3 laparoscopic surgeries -- 2 rotator cuffs  (left and right) and a bilateral linguinal hernia repair.  NO ONE ever told me that there was ANY risk of a incisional hernial following those surgeries -- let alone a risk as high as 11%.  I don't think it would have changed my mind to have the surgeries done.  It simply was NEVER mentioned, which seems improper.

The risk of incisional hernia's is apparently most common in abdominal procedures like prostatectomies and linguinal hernia repairs. The the general risks are discussed here:  http://surgery.about.com/od/proceduresaz/a/IncisionalHerni.htm

I found this particuarlly interesting because I also found another study that said it is generally uncommon for a patient to have a laparoscopic hernia repair done following a laparoscopic prostatectomy because of the placement of the surgical mesh during the hernia surgery.

See: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3015607/

So, anyone who has had a prior laparoscopic bilateral hernia surgery may not be eligible for a subsequent laparoscopic prostatectomy and I don't think this limitation has ever been discussed on this board before -- at least not in the nearly 6 years that I've been around.

Anyway, Max, I hope the surgery to repair the incisional hernia is successful.  Good luck!!!

Beau2 said:

Hernias

Before I had my DaVinci, I had three inguinal hernias. One inguinal hernia was repaired with mesh.

The DaVinci did lead to an incisional hernia above the navel. It was repaired with mesh. 

Compared to the inguinal repairs, and the DaVinci, the incisional hernia repair was easy.

In and out of the hospital in one day. You'll do fine.

Thanks for the feedback, guys.  I will let you know what he finds and how the surgery goes. He repeated the universal pre-laproscopic blurb that "if too much scar tissue or other issues are discovered, he might have to switch to an open inicision, but such is very uncommon."

Her also added that a disolvable attachment is available to hold the mesh in place, but stated that a metallic, permanent form of tacking is available and is his preference.  I said go with the metal.  I already have a femur rod and lots of surgical wire holding my hip socket together, so a few tiny tacks should be pretty irrelevant.  I had intuitively guessed that this surgery would be way simpler and less painful than the prostectomy, but am glad to hear that confirmed.  I have a massive stomach hernia which is so large it can actually at times be heard moving in any out of the diaphram, but it is not going to me addressed on Nov 3.

max