We have known for many years that estrogen is more than the female hormone. It is essential in the male gonads, and in both sexes, estrogen has functions in the skeleton and central nervous system, on behavior, and in the cardiovascular and immune systems. An important aspect of the discovery of estrogen receptor (ER) beta is that the diverse functions of estrogen can now be divided into those mediated by ERalpha and those mediated by ERbeta. Pharmacological exploitation of this division of the labors of estrogen is facilitated by the ligand-binding specificity and selective tissue distribution of the two ERs. Because the ligand binding domains of ERalpha and ERbeta are significantly different from each other, selective ligands can be (and have been) developed to target the estrogenic pathway that is malfunctioning, without interfering with the other estrogen-regulated pathways. Because of the absence of ERbeta from the adult pituitary and endometrium, ERbeta agonists can be used to target ERbeta with no risk of adverse effects from chemical castration and uterine cancer. Some of the diseases in which there is hope that ERbeta agonists will be of benefit are prostate cancer, autoimmune diseases, colon cancer, malignancies of the immune system, and neurodegeneration.

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Reflections on the Discovery and Significance of Estrogen Receptor β

To measure the usage rate of social media (SoMe) resources in the prostate cancer community, we performed a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of SoMe activity on the topic of PCa on the four most frequented platforms. We scanned the SoMe platforms Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram for “prostate cancer” as a cross-sectional analysis or during a defined time period. Sources were included if their communication centered on PCa by title and content. We assessed activity measurements for each SoMe source and classified the sources into six functional categories. We identified 99 PCa-related Facebook groups that amassed 31,262 members and 90 Facebook pages with 283,996 “likes”. On YouTube, we found 536 PCa videos accounting for 43,966,634 views, 52,655 likes, 8597 dislikes, and 12,393 comments. During a 1-year time period, 32,537 users generated 110,971 tweets on #ProstateCancer on Twitter, providing over 544 million impressions. During a 1-month time period, 638 contributors posted 1081 posts on Instagram, generating over 22,000 likes and 4,748,159 impressions. Among six functional categories, general information/support dominated the SoMe landscape on all SoMe platforms. SoMe activity on the topic of PCa on the four most frequented platforms is high. Facebook groups, YouTube videos, and Twitter tweets are mainly used for giving general information on PCa and education. High SoMe utilization in the PCa community underlines its future role for communication of PCa.

Substantial utilization of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram in the prostate cancer community

Background: The knowledge about and use of chemopreventive agents for prostate cancer by physicians has not been described. The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) showed that finasteride was effective in reducing the incidence of prostate cancer. We examined the influence of the PCPT on finasteride prescribing within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Methods: We assessed trends on monthly new and total prescriptions for finasteride filled within the VHA from January 2000 to December 2005. Additionally, all VHA urologists and a random sample of VHA primary care physicians (PCP) were surveyed about their use of finasteride.

Results: The number of men starting finasteride grew over the study period. Publication of the PCPT was not significantly associated with any change in this pattern ( P = 0.45). Fifty-seven percent of urologists and 40% of PCPs endorsed prescribing finasteride more frequently in 2006 than 5 years prior. However, among those who reported changing prescribing patterns, fewer than 2% reported being influenced by the PCPT. Sixty-four percent of urologists and 80% of PCPs never prescribe finasteride for prostate cancer chemoprevention; 55% of urologists cited concerns of inducing high-grade tumors, whereas 52% of PCPs did not know it could be used for chemoprevention.

Conclusions: The number of men starting finasteride in the VHA increased over time, but the change did not seem to be due to increased use of finasteride for chemoprevention. Publication of the PCPT seemed to have little influence over the study period.

Impact: Physicians may not readily accept the use of chemopreventive agents for prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(9); OF1–8. ©2010 AACR.

https://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/cebp/19/9/2164.full.pdf

Knowledge and Use of Finasteride for the Prevention of Prostate Cancer

Health practitioners often use the terms marketing and promotion interchangeably. Yet, promotion is just one element of an overall marketing strategy. To realize the greatest impact there must be a combination of all the marketing components, including product, price, place, and promotion. The purpose of this article is to clarify the role of promotion and describe key elements of developing a promotional strategy within the broader context of a social marketing initiative.

Developing a Promotional Strategy: Important Questions for Social Marketing

Innovators or laggards: surveying diffusion of innovations by public relations practitioners

The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial was the first clinical trial to show that a direct intervention (5 mg of finasteride daily for 7 years) could reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer. Initial results also suggested that men taking finasteride had an increased risk of developing what appeared to be higher-grade disease (Gleason score 7-10). The National Cancer Institute has a congressional mandate to communicate health information to the public and has established methods to reach the public directly and to reach information intermediaries in the media, professional societies, and advocacy groups. The groundbreaking yet complicated results of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial were widely disseminated by National Cancer Institute using the social marketing and public-relations strategies and tactics detailed here.

Delivering prostate cancer prevention messages to the public: how the National Cancer Institute (NCI) effectively spread the word about the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) results.

Tamara Maze-Gallman

Papers

Delivering prostate cancer prevention messages to the public: how the National Cancer Institute (NCI) effectively spread the word about the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) results.