Though Movember lies months away, mo bros, mo sistas and others affected by prostate cancer have reason to celebrate this summer. Prostate Cancer Canada has awarded $8 million worth of grants to 40 researchers across the country, five of whom are based in Vancouver. The project was funded by Movember Canada, a fundraising organization that calls on young men to put down their razors for the duration of November, in order to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer research.
Pete Bombaci, national director of Movember Canada, said that Vancouver is quickly growing into a hub for cancer research, and that many globally respected researchers are in the Vancouver Prostate Centre, which Movember looks to for leadership in the field.
One of those researchers is Dr. Richard Wassersug, who stands as the first and only researcher to receive a grant from Prostate Cancer Canada for studying survivorship, a field that aims to improve the quality of life for those diagnosed with cancer.
Wassersugs research project aims to alleviate the side effects of patients going through androgen deprivation therapy, which reduces the amount of testosterone and estrogen produced by the body, causing hot flashes to occur and disrupt the sleep of patients, as well as causing daytime fatigue.
Many patients dont experience symptoms when they are diagnosed, the drugs and treatments are causing these symptoms, Wassersug said. We have a cure, we can prevent prostate cancer using radiation if we can get to it early enough, but we still have to deal with the side effects. I felt very flattered that Prostate Cancer Canada awarded us the grant.
Wassersug said the grant will allow him and his partner to track bloodwork, run controlled experiments, and purchase instruments to track sleeping patterns.
Prostate Cancer Canada awards grants annually, and asks researchers to submit proposals for projects, which are decided by a panel of advisors from around the country. Public awareness of prostate cancer has grown exponentially over the past decade and the number of proposals Prostate Cancer Canada received increased by 23 per cent since last year. Stuart Edwards, vice-president of research, health promotion and support services, said the organization is now looking towards the breast cancer community as something to emulate, due to the strong public support and number of breakthroughs it has.
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