Welcome, Royce Holmes

[Guest guest]

......to the club no one wants to join.

There is a lot to do.

(1) I'd recommend having the biopsy specimens examined by a pathology

lab that specializes in prostate cancer (PCa). Everything that is done

from here on depends upon the accuracy of the Gleason scoring. Here is

a list:

Bostwick Laboratories [800] 214-6628

Dianon Laboratories [800] 328-2666 (select 5 for client services)

Jon Epstein (Hopkins) [410] 955-5043 or [410] 955-2162

Grignon (Michigan) [313] 745-2520

Jon Oppenheimer (Tennessee) [888] 868-7522

UroCor, Inc. [800] 411-1839

The cost, last I heard, was about $350. More if further tests are ordered.

The chosen lab can give instructions on shipment arrangements.

(2) The authoritative website of the Prostate Cancer Research

Institute (PCRI) at http://prostate-cancer.org/index.html

is an excellent beginning.

Some medics who specialize in treatment (tx) of PCa are listed via

this portal: http://prostate-cancer.org/resource/find-a-physician.html

(3) I heartily recommend this text on PCa: _A Primer on Prostate

Cancer_ 2nd ed., subtitled " The Empowered Patient's Guide " by medical

oncologist and PCa specialist B. Strum, MD and PCa warrior

Donna Pogliano. It is available from the PCRI website and the like, as

well as Amazon (30+ five-star reviews), & Noble, and

bookstores. A lifesaver, as I very well know.

(4) Personal contact with other patients can be very helpful. Local

chapters of the international support group Us Too can be found via

their website at http://www.ustoo.com/chapter_nearyou.asp

Good luck!

Regards,

Steve J

" Empowerment: taking responsibility for and authority over one's own

outcomes based on education and knowledge of the consequences and

contingencies involved in one's own decisions. This focus provides the

uplifting energy that can sustain in the face of crisis. "

--Donna Pogliano, co-author of _A Primer on Prostate Cancer_, subtitled

" The Empowered Patient's Guide. "