HarvardProstateKnowledge.org to report live from prostate cancer symposium through Twitter, blog, and Facebook

By Marc B. Garnick, M.D., Editor in Chief, 2011 Annual Report on Prostate Diseases

On Friday, May 20, the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition hosts its 14^th annual prostate cancer symposium. Specialists from the Boston area will cover a variety of topics including:

• new molecular tests that might help doctors better assess whether a man has prostate cancer and, if so, what to do about it
• concerns of men who are diagnosed with cancer that’s already fairly advanced
• active surveillance vs. treatment for low-risk prostate cancer
• how radical prostatectomy stacks up against other treatments
• the latest information on brachytherapy (seed therapy), a type of radiation
• what to do about urinary incontinence after prostate cancer treatment
• monitoring your condition after treatment—is the cancer in remission?
• the best foods to eat to promote healing and boost energy
• enrolling in a clinical trial.

Seemingly everyone turns to the Internet when they receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer, but finding reputable sites with accurate and unbiased information can sometimes be challenging. I will be talking about a few Web sites, including www.HarvardProstateKnowledge.org, that can help men and their families better understand the controversies surrounding prostate cancer screening and make well-informed decisions about treatment. I will remind attendees to check the source of information they find online.

Suzanne Rose, editor of the 2011 Annual Report on Prostate Diseases from Harvard Health Publishing (HHP), will report live from the symposium via Twitter, and post updates to the HHP Facebook page. Additional reports and blog posts will be added to the HarvardProstateKnowledge site in the coming days, so be sure to check back regularly.

For more information about the symposium, visit www.masspcc.org.

Posted May 17, 2011.