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    Protecting Cancer Patients by Opposing the “Big Beautiful Bill”

    To: Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Representative Nick Begich
    From: Members of Us TOO Alaska
    Re: Protecting Cancer Patients by Opposing the “Big Beautiful Bill”

    Dear Members of the Alaska Congressional Delegation,

    We write to you today as Alaskan fathers, veterans, small business owners, community leaders, and men who have faced a deeply personal battle: prostate cancer. We are members of Us TOO Alaska, a peer-led group made up of men currently living with or having survived prostate cancer. We support each other through the uncertainty, the treatment, the aftermath – and we’re speaking up now because proposed federal cuts to Medicaid, under the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” would be devastating for our community and for thousands of Alaskans fighting cancer.

    Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among American men. In 2025 alone, over 313,000 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed, and nearly 36,000 will die from the disease. One in every eight men will face this diagnosis in their lifetime – yet survivorship is possible with early detection and access to quality care. For many Alaskans, particularly those in rural or under-served areas, Medicaid is the only path to that care. Cutting Medicaid is cutting lives short.

    More than 232,000 Alaskans rely on Medicaid – including over 5,600 people with a cancer history. With over 650 new cancer diagnoses expected this year alone, Medicaid continues to serve as a lifeline for those needing screenings, chemotherapy, radiation, follow-up scans, and supportive care.

    Most of us in Us TOO  are older than 65, and many of us are retired military, faith leaders, tradesmen, or business owners – people who have given back to this state in countless ways. Many of us never imagined we’d need public assistance. But cancer doesn’t care about your status, your faith, or your work ethic. When cancer hits, timely access to treatment saves lives.

    The current proposal before Congress threatens that access. The “Big Beautiful Bill” would slash Medicaid funding and create unnecessary red tape at a time when Alaska’s healthcare infrastructure is already stretched thin. These cuts could force clinics to close, reduce access to oncologists and specialists, and leave patients in the bush and beyond with nowhere to turn.

    We urge you to remember that this is not just a policy debate – it’s a matter of survival for men like us and for the Alaskans who will be diagnosed tomorrow. We ask you to stand with us and oppose this bill and any federal action that undermines Medicaid’s ability to serve cancer patients in our state.

    Respectfully,

    Stephen Lewis, Support Facilitator, Us TOO Alaska
    Mark Dixson, Prostate Cancer Survivor

    Bill Bredar, Prostate Cancer Survivor

    Keith Guyer, Prostate Cancer Survivor

    Mike Zoske, Prostate Cancer Survivor

    Us TOO Alaska, Prostate and Testicular Cancer Education and Support

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    Diet & exercise trial recruitment

    From The Reluctant Brotherhood newsletter comes the news that Dr. Kerri Winters-Stone is recruiting participants for a diet and exercise trial designed specifically for men with prostate cancer who have received androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in the past 10 years. From their newsletter:

    Here’s what the trial includes for participants:

    • Access to a free online diet and exercise program to help lose weight and improve physical function.
    • Virtual support tailored to your needs.
    • Free tools, including a Fitbit and digital scale.
    • Educational resources to help you achieve sustainable, healthier habits.
      Participation requires completing online assessments, health surveys, and an at-home urine sample to determine muscle mass.

    If you’re feeling ready to take a proactive step toward improved well-being, we encourage you to reach out using the contact information below to learn more or join the study:

    Phone: 833-880-6800
    Email: iLIVE4health@ohsu.edu
    Website: iLIVE4health.org

    Alternatively, you can contact the project director directly at Sharon McCoy at 503-740-5962.

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    Prostate cancer and genetics

    In 2016, Nelson and SPORE collaborators Heather Cheng, MD, PhD, and Colin Pritchard, MD, PhD,  showed that men with advanced prostate cancer were five times more likely than men in the general population to have inherited mutations in DNA-repair genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2.

    It highlighted the role that inherited mutations may play in cancer development and the importance of genetic screening for prostate cancer patients and their family members. A patient’s siblings may also have inherited the same mutation, and they may have passed it to their own children. If a man tests positive for such a mutation, his family members have critical information they can use to assess their own risk. If they also test positive, the family members can opt for more aggressive screening strategies designed to catch prostate (and breast, ovarian and pancreatic) cancers early.

    Read the full article (scroll down the page)

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    Theranostics treatments for cancer underway at UCLA Health

    UCLA Health’s new leading-edge theranostics center that uses targeted radioactive drugs to treat advanced cancer is now open. The center, which opened Feb. 13, will mostly treat advanced prostate cancer but will also see people with thyroid cancer and neuroendocrine tumors.

    Read the full article

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    Hollywood’s Take on Oncology: Portrayal of Cancer in Movies, 2010-2020

    Actress Audrey Hepburn once stated, “Everything I learned, I learned from the movies.” Despite many movies being fictional and dramatizations in nature and intent, respectively, studies have revealed that films can potentially influence an individual’s opinions and beliefs on wide-ranging issues such as HIV, mental disorders, smoking, immigration, government, and foreign countries. As such, cinema and movies play an integral role in society by shaping public opinion on numerous topics including cancer.

    Read the full article