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dalhousie prostate cancer program empowers men to thrive after diagnosis
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uli holtkamp is on a "healing path" after prostate cancer treatment and participation in a new virtual program out of dalhousie university in halifax.
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uli holtkamp says going through prostate cancer has made him a better person. how is that possible?
he’s been through the uncertainty of whether to go ahead with surgery. he went through hormone therapy for six months, which is similar to menopause with hot flashes and mood swings. then he had brachytherapy, targeted internal radiation, followed by weeks of external radiation to get him to the point of remission in 2025.
he prefers to call it the “healing path” to avoid the negative connotations of cancer returning.
“it’s so important to think about the words you’re using that will alter the way you’re thinking. and i believe that will alter the way you’re healing and how you’re doing. it’s so connected to the positivity in your mind and everything else,” he explains of the mindfulness he’s developed over the past two years to see him through his cancer.
when holtkamp, 66, was first diagnosed, he realized he was at a disadvantage. he’s a gay man in rural british columbia who felt isolated from healthcare services that were designed for heterosexual white males. his urologist gave him options for treatment, a phone number for a surgeon, and then told him to get informed and then get back to him. it spurred him to action. “i was active in the gay movement when i was 18 and 19 years old. i have become again a very outspoken and active person.”
prostate cancer personal empowerment program
what turned his cancer experience into a positive one was finding a support community and a new toolbox of disease management. first, he found peer groups and resources through prostate cancer foundation canada. then he learned about a new program by dalhousie university in halifax called pc-pep, prostate cancer personal empowerment program, developed to address health inequities in prostate cancer care so that all men can feel empowered to thrive after a diagnosis.
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prostate cancer disproportionately affects black, indigenous, rural and lgbtq2+ men, but these groups face later diagnoses, limited access to culturally appropriate care and poorer outcomes.
why? black men face nearly double the risk of diagnosis because of a number of factors, including genetic predisposition and a surge in testosterone during puberty. they are also more likely to have prostate tumours that grow and spread quickly, according to the canadian cancer society.
indigenous men are screened less often, rural canadians travel long distances with few supports and sexual minorities report lower quality of life after treatment. the pc-pep program is free, so anyone with access to a computer and the internet can benefit from the six-month program created by a psychosocial oncology scientist and a prostate cancer oncologist. it delivers daily video and email guidance with peer support, monthly group calls and culturally-specific sessions. additionally, the program is scientifically tested, ensuring it’s designed to be transformative. the movember men’s health charity has invested $2.1 million in six projects across the country—one is pc-pep—that address inequities in prostate cancer care.
“not only is it making survivorship more equitable, but i do also really believe that it’s giving men the tools and knowledge and resources. and a big piece here to not lose sight of is the support, so it’s giving men that support and those tools to not just survive, but genuinely thrive,” says kris bennett, global director of prostate cancer health equity initiatives at movember. “when we looked at this program, we saw the importance of that, and it really did jump out at us.”
new program gives men tools, knowledge, resources and community
dr. gabriela ilie, psychosocial oncology scientist at dalhousie and program co-creator, says the gap in care for these underserved populations is unacceptable, leaving men to return home after treatment to “wait between appointments and worry.” the program bridges the care gap.
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as ilie explains, “they need to know, ‘what can i do in the privacy of my own home to eat better, to feel better physically, to emotionally feel better and feel that i have some control of my life?’” the aim is to empower individuals to take an active role in their own care, working alongside the healthcare system to lead a better, longer life.
“what we’re doing is we’re translating all this knowledge that’s sitting there on the shelves to empower people, we tell them this is what the science is, what the evidence is.”
an example would be oxidative stress from being in a stressful situation or constantly being in a fight-or-flight situation: i need to go to work. i need to take care of my kids. i need to pay my bills. i need to make sure that my doctor treats me just as well as he would treat somebody else. research shows that constant little stresses are worse than major stressors like divorce, and lead to inflammation that fuels cancer and other diseases.
ilie and her colleague are on video calls themselves to demonstrate how to calm stress with practical tools, like how to navigate a conversation with your doctor, breathing exercises, structured physical activity and healthy meals.
“once a week, we release a cooking video that shows how to use plants and vegetables to make delicious foods that are going to last in the fridge two to three days. they’re going to feed your body, feed your soul. we can customize that for indigenous people who have cooking traditions and rural people who don’t have the luxury of large supermarkets.”
this virtual approach to self-care for men with prostate cancer can be scaled and adapted around the world, and ilie is currently travelling in south africa to make presentations to medical and patient groups. canada is leading the way in innovative care.
“it has given me a more positive outlook on life,” holtkamp says of the program. “it has given me again the knowledge that it’s in my hands. i can change to the positive and choose to be healthy. i watch what i eat, and i realize how important exercise is at my age.”
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he participated in pc-pep in 2024 and continues to attend the program’s virtual monthly support group meetings and a group meeting for gay men.
“it also creates community, so you’re not alone and they’re always there to answer questions.” he wants to share his knowledge of cancer treatment so others can be more informed.
“it’s a no-brainer that if you feel healthy, if you feel positive in your body and your mind, you will go through any kind of operation, radiation, hormone therapy—whatever you choose, you will go through much more positive.”
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