Latest from the UK Prostate Cancer Charity

February 2015 Advanced prostate cancer drug, abiraterone, is rarely out of the headlines, and last week two big stories broke almost in tandem. As the drug was rejected for men in Scotland who haven't had chemotherapy, new research revealed more evidence that it can be beneficial for these men. EastEnders grandad Stan Carter has been back on our screens, facing the future after deciding not to have treatment for his advanced prostate cancer. We meet Louise and Malcolm Crossley-Birch who are dealing with some of the same issues as Stan and his family. AndSophie Lutter asks what the future of treatment might look like for men like Stan. We have a round-up of all the action so far from The Men United Arms. And there are so many ways you can get involved we've had to split it into sections! Among them is the first national conference to bring together gay and bisexual men and trans women who have prostate cancer, with people who provide support. Find out more and sign up here. We hope you like getting this newsletter but, if not, you can unsubscribe at any time. Prostate cancer and us: "You never give up that bit of hope. We try to take things as they come" As EastEnders’ Stan Carter is feeling bleak about his future with advanced prostate cancer, we talk to Louise Crossley-Birch, whose husband, Malcolm, has advanced disease and is dealing with some of the same issues as Stan. Louise talks about Malcolm's treatment, including chemotherapy, which Stan has refused, and managing pain. And while Stan is preoccupied with thoughts of his death, she discusses their feelings about an uncertain future and the prospect of losing Malcolm. Read their story. New evidence shows benefits of abiraterone for men who haven't had chemotherapy, as drug-approval body says no for men in Scotland Advanced prostate cancer drug abiraterone hit the headlines twice last week. You may have read that the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) announced their decision not to make abiraterone available on the NHS in Scotland for men who haven’t had chemotherapy. But alongside this announcement, scientists published new research which adds to the evidence that giving abiraterone before chemotherapy benefits men. Read about the promising results of these two research projects, including one which could identify men who would benefit most from the drug. Can we teach old drugs new tricks to help men like Stan tackle advanced prostate cancer? For EastEnders' Stan Carter, beating prostate cancer might mean not letting the side effects of treatment, particualry chemotherapy, dominate the last few months of his life. But how many more men will have to make this choice? In her latest blog, Sophie Lutter explores possible future treatments for advanced disease that could change the game. And she asks if we can move forwards by looking back. Read more. Scottish drug decision-maker says no to abiraterone for men who haven't had chemotherapy The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) announced last week that they would not be making abiraterone available on the Scottish NHS for men with advanced prostate cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy, and who haven’t had chemotherapy. Some men choose not to be treated with chemotherapy, or to delay treatment, and some men are not fit enough to undergo it. This decision effectively denies an alternative treatment to those men and denies a choice to men who would rather delay chemotherapy, but would still benefit from abiraterone. Find out more about this decision.