Savyy Health and Fitness Tips, News and Reviews » Prostate http://savvyhealthfitness.com Health and fitness tips,news and reviews on diet, nutrition, weight loss, diabetes type 2, prostate health, cholesterol, exercise and strength training Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:43:35 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Unnecessary PSA Screenings? http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/unnecessary-psa-screenings http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/unnecessary-psa-screenings#comments Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:09:07 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/?p=3620 Read more...]]> Many Elderly Men Are Undergoing Unnecessary PSA Screenings

A new study on the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based prostate cancer screening in the United States found that many elderly men may be undergoing unnecessary prostate cancer screenings. Using data from surveys conducted in 2000 and 2005, researchers report that nearly half of men in their seventies underwent PSA screening in the past year almost double the screening rate of men in their early fifties, who are more likely to benefit from early prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. Further, men aged 85 and older were screened just as often as men in their early fifties.

Because prostate cancer tends to be slow-growing, data show that many men particularly those in their seventies and older will die of other causes before prostate cancer becomes a problem that requires medical attention. The new findings underscore a long-standing concern that overuse of PSA screening and PSA-based treatment decisions may lead to unnecessary treatment of many older men and potential complications such as incontinence, impotence and bowel dysfunction.

PSA screening“Our findings show a high rate of elderly and sometimes ill men being inappropriately screened for prostate cancer. We’re concerned these screenings may prompt cancer treatment among elderly men who ultimately have a very low likelihood of benefiting the patient and paradoxically can cause more harm than good,” said senior author Scott Eggener, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Chicago. “We were also surprised to find that nearly three-quarters of men in their fifties were not screened within the past year. These results emphasize the need for greater physician interaction and conversations about the merits and limitations of prostate cancer screening for men of all ages.”

While large declines in prostate cancer metastases and death rates in the last 20 years coincide with widespread use of PSA-based screening, questions remain about its use. Data have been unclear about when men should be considered for PSA screening and when screening should stop, and recent studies have provided conflicting evidence on whether routine PSA screening in the general population of men actually reduces the risk of dying from prostate cancer. Based on these concerns, major organizations such as the American Cancer Society now encourage men who expect to live at least 10 years to talk with their doctor about the risks and benefits of screening, starting at age 50 for men with an average risk or at age 45 for men with a higher risk.

In this study, the researchers examined results from health surveys of randomly selected households conducted in 2000 and 2005 as part of the federal government-sponsored National Health Interview Survey. In addition to reviewing survey data, which included information on age, smoking, mass-body index, underlying medical conditions and other factors, the investigators calculated the estimated five-year life expectancy of each man over 40 who had received a PSA test.

They divided survey results of men age 70 and older into five-year age groups (70 to 74, 75 to 79, 80 to 84, and 85 years and older). In all, 2,623 men ages 70 and older were included in the analysis, while nearly 12,000 men between the ages of 40 and 69 served as controls.

The overall PSA screening rate within the past year for men aged 40 and older was 23.7 percent in 2000 and 26.0 percent in 2005. The PSA screening rate was lowest in the 40 to 44 age group (7.5 percent). Researchers found that the PSA screening rate was 24.0 percent in men ages 50 to 54, increasing with age until a peak of 45.5 percent in ages 70 to 74. Screening rates then declined with age, with 24.6 percent of men 85 or older reporting being screened.

Among men who were 70 or older, the investigators did find that PSA screening was more common in men with a greater estimated five-year life expectancy. For example, approximately 47.3 percent of men who were unlikely to die in five years (an estimated chance of 15 percent or less) were screened, 39.2 percent of men with an intermediate chance (16 to 48 percent probability) of dying received screening, and 30.7 percent of those with the highest probability of death (48 percent or greater) in five years were screened.

Eggener offered some possible explanations for the results, noting that screening rates may reflect how frequently men visit primary care physicians. Older men tend to have more health problems that require doctor visits, and this may in turn result in more frequent PSA testing than younger men, who see their doctors less. The authors suggest that physicians should be more selective in recommending PSA testing for older men, particularly those with a limited life expectancy, and consider more routinely screening younger, healthier men who are most likely to benefit from early prostate cancer diagnosis and related treatment. Men are encouraged to talk with their doctor about their individual risk for prostate cancer, and about the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening.

Source: American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

Prostate / Prostate Cancer From Medical News Today

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]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/unnecessary-psa-screenings/feed 0 First FDA-Approved Prostate Cancer Treatment Vaccine http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/first-fda-approved-prostate-cancer-treatment-vaccine http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/first-fda-approved-prostate-cancer-treatment-vaccine#comments Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:02:17 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/?p=3575 Read more...]]> First FDA-Approved Prostate Cancer Treatment Vaccine Available At Roswell Park

The nation’s first FDA-approved cancer treatment vaccine, Provenge (sipuleucel-T), is being offered for the first time in Western New York at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). The vaccine is designed for men with advanced prostate cancer who have limited treatment options and who meet eligibility requirements. “It’s the first time we are able to offer immunotherapy with an FDA-approved product,” says Roberto Pili, MD, Chief of the Genitourinary Section in RPCI’s Department of Medicine.

Provenge represents a new approach to cancer treatment – using vaccines to trigger the patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. RPCI patients who receive Provenge will have immune cells purified from their blood; this process will take place at the American Red Cross headquarters in Buffalo. The immune cells will then be shipped to a central lab, where they will be combined with a specific protein (an antigen) that stimulates the immune cells to recognize and kill prostate cancer cells.

Provenge - FDA approved prostate cancer vaccineThe resulting vaccine, custom-created for each patient, will be shipped to RPCI to be administered intravenously, in three doses, approximately two weeks apart. Because the vaccine uses the patient’s own immune cells, “there are no serious allergic reactions,” notes Dr. Pili. Potential reactions include fever and flu-like symptoms, “but these are rare. This is a generally well-tolerated procedure.”

Dr. Pili says patients will be evaluated at RPCI to ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements. These include: a diagnosis of prostate cancer that has spread to the bones or other areas outside the prostate; few or minimal symptoms of the disease; and disease that has recurred despite treatments to reduce levels of male hormones, or androgens, which help fuel the growth of prostate cancer. A study published in the July 29, 2010, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that Provenge significantly extended overall survival for men in this category, whose disease is incurable.

Dr. Pili says RPCI researchers hope to conduct clinical trials that will combine Provenge with other types of treatment, with the goal of improving the effectiveness of the vaccine therapy. “This is just the beginning,” he says. Pamela Germain, MBA, Vice President for Managed Care and Outreach, says RPCI will work closely with healthcare payers to ensure that treatment costs will be preauthorized for eligible patients.

Provenge is the first FDA-approved vaccine for the treatment of cancer.

Source:
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI)
Prostate / Prostate Cancer From Medical News Today

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]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/first-fda-approved-prostate-cancer-treatment-vaccine/feed 0 Hard Exercise May Reduce the Risk of Prostate Cancer http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/hard-exercise-may-reduce-the-risk-of-prostate-cancer http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/hard-exercise-may-reduce-the-risk-of-prostate-cancer#comments Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:56:19 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/?p=3499 Read more...]]> Risk Of Death For Men With Prostate Cancer May Be Reduced By Exercise,

A new study of men with prostate cancer finds that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of overall mortality and of death due to prostate cancer. The Harvard School of Public Health and University of California, San Francisco researchers also found that men who did more vigorous activity had the lowest risk of dying from the disease. It is the first study in men with prostate cancer to evaluate physical activity after diagnosis in relation to prostate cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality.

The study appears in an advance online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

prostate cancer“Our results suggest that men can reduce their risk of prostate cancer progression after a diagnosis of prostate cancer by adding physical activity to their daily routine,” said Stacey Kenfield, lead author of the study and a Harvard School of Public Health researcher. “This is good news for men living with prostate cancer who wonder what lifestyle practices to follow to improve cancer survival.”

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed form of cancer among men in the United States and affects one in six U.S. men during their lifetime. More than 2 million men in the U.S. and 16 million men worldwide are prostate cancer survivors.

The study was conducted in 2,705 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study over an 18-year period. The participants reported the average time per week they spent doing physical activity, including walking, running, bicycling, swimming and other sports and outdoor work.

The results showed that both non-vigorous and vigorous activity were beneficial for overall survival. Compared with men who walked less than 90 minutes per week at an easy pace, those who walked 90 or more minutes per week at a normal to very brisk pace had a 46% lower risk of dying from any cause.

Only vigorous activity – defined as more than three hours per week – was associated with reduced prostate cancer mortality. Men who did vigorous activity had a 61% lower risk of prostate cancer-specific death compared with men who did less than one hour per week of vigorous activity.

“We observed benefits at very attainable levels of activity and our results suggest that men with prostate cancer should do some physical activity for their overall health, even if it is a small amount, such as 15 minutes of activity per day of walking, jogging, biking or gardening,” said Kenfield. “However, doing vigorous activity for three or more hours per week may be especially beneficial for prostate cancer, as well as overall health,” she said.

Notes:
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Charles A. King Trust and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

“Physical Activity and Survival After Prostate Cancer Diagnosis in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study,” Stacey A. Kenfield, Meir J. Stampfer, Edward Giovannucci, June M. Chan, Journal of Clinical Oncology, online January 4, 2011.

Source:
Todd Datz
Harvard School of Public Health

Prostate / Prostate Cancer From Medical News Today

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/212877.php

]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/hard-exercise-may-reduce-the-risk-of-prostate-cancer/feed 0 Prostate Cancer Treatment Decisions http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/prostate-cancer-treatment-decisions http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/prostate-cancer-treatment-decisions#comments Sat, 01 Jan 2011 02:25:03 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/?p=3462 Read more...]]> In Prostate Cancer Treatment Decisions, Age Plays Too Big A Role

Older men with high-risk prostate cancer frequently are offered fewer – and less effective – choices of treatment than younger men, potentially resulting in earlier deaths, according to a new UCSF study.

The scientists found that men above age 75 with high-risk prostate cancer often are under-treated through hormone therapy or watchful waiting alone in lieu of more aggressive treatments such as surgery and radiation therapies. Instead, say the researchers, old age should not be viewed as a barrier to treatments that could lead to potential cures.

prostate cancer“There is a disconnect between risk and treatment decisions among older men,” said senior investigator Matthew R. Cooperberg, MD, MPH. “Patient age is strongly influencing treatment decisions, so we sought to understand whether age plays a role in risk of the disease and survival. We found that under-treatment of older-men with high-risk disease might in part explain higher rates of cancer mortality in this group. There is also pervasive over-treatment of low-risk disease in this age group. Overall, treatment needs to be selected more based on disease risk and less based on chronologic age.”

The study is published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and is available online here.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men and the second most common cause of cancer death after lung cancer. This year, an estimated 217,730 men will be diagnosed with the disease, and 32,050 men will die from it, reports the American Cancer Society. Moreover, prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among older men: 64 percent of new cases in the United States this year were diagnosed in men older than 65, and 23 percent in men above 75.

Yet most studies delving into optimal treatment options focus on men younger than 75. The new UCSF study is among the first to explore the relationship between age, disease risk and survival among prostate cancer patients.

The researchers studied men in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) database, a longitudinal, observational disease registry of men with prostate cancer who were recruited from urology practices throughout the United States. At the time of the study, the database contained information on 13,805 patients.

The scientists found that older patients are more likely to have high-risk prostate cancer at the point of diagnosis, and less likely to receive potentially curative local therapy. Yet when older, high-risk men received more aggressive treatment, they had a 46 percent lower death rate compared with patients treated more conservatively with hormonal therapy or watchful waiting.

The finding, the researchers say, suggests that underuse of aggressive therapy may in part explain the higher death rates of older men with the disease.

“Age does not independently predict prostate cancer survival,” said Peter R. Carroll, MD, MPH, chair of the UCSF Department of Urology and co-leader of the prostate program at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is a co-author of the paper. “Our findings support making treatment decisions on the basis of disease risk and life expectancy rather than on chronologic age.”

The researchers note that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force specifically recommends against screening men age 75 or older, but that position is based on studies on younger men, and furthermore does not account for health status or other diseases that the patients may have which would affect life expectancy.

“Older men with high-risk disease frequently die of prostate cancer and under-treatment might be a factor in their deaths,” said Cooperberg, a prostate cancer specialist in the UCSF Department of Urology and the Helen Diller cancer center. “The notion of age as a primary determinant should be reconsidered. Patients with aggressive local disease should be offered a chance of aggressive therapy that might cure them regardless of their age.”

Traditionally, Cooperberg said, physicians have feared the risks of surgery on their older patients. But for older patients with localized, high-risk disease – and a life expectancy of more than 10 years – the researchers recommend that surgical treatment and radiation be considered.

“Surgery and radiation risks do go up with age, but it may be that we are focusing too much on risk than on benefit,” said Cooperberg. “We need a better balance between risk and benefit.”

Notes:
Seth K. Bechis, a UCSF medical student now in residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the lead author of the paper.

Carroll and Cooperberg report receiving honoraria unrelated to the study from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Cooperberg additionally from Abbott Laboratories. Abbott supports CaPSURE in part, and additional funding is provided through several federal grants.

Source:
Elizabeth Fernandez
University of California – San Francisco

Prostate / Prostate Cancer From Medical News Today

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/212258.php

]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/prostate-cancer-treatment-decisions/feed 0 Accurate Diagnosis Of Prostate Cancer With Ultrasound http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/accurate-diagnosis-of-prostate-cancer-with-ultrasound http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/accurate-diagnosis-of-prostate-cancer-with-ultrasound#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:50:42 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/accurate-diagnosis-of-prostate-cancer-with-ultrasound Read more...]]> Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men, but its diagnosis has up to now been inaccurate and unpleasant. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands, in cooperation with AMC Amsterdam, have developed an imaging technology that can accurately identify tumors. The technology is based on ultrasound, and also has the potential to assess how aggressive tumors are. This can lead to better and more appropriate treatment, and to cost savings in health care.

prostate ultrasoundAbout 11% of men who die of cancer in the western world do so as a result of prostate cancer. Each year 200,000 men are diagnosed with the disease in the US alone. But diagnosis is still rudimentary. After determining the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level in the blood-, biopsies are performed to see if there are tumors in the prostate. However the PSA level is not a very good indicator: two-thirds of all biopsies turn out afterwards to have been unnecessary.

Biopsies are not targeted

The biopsies also have disadvantages; for example they are not targeted, but instead tissue is sampled randomly using 6 to 12 needles. The chance that the needles will miss a tumor is high, causing a false negative result. In around one-third of cases with negative biopsies, tumors are later found to be present. Furthermore doctors often operate after a positive biopsy, but find a tumor so small that it would have been better not to operate.

Aggressive

The new technology uses the injection of microbubbles of a contrast agent with no side-effects. The response of the tiny bubbles to ultrasound is different from that of human tissue or blood. This makes the bubbles traceable from the outside, right into the smallest blood vessels. The pattern of blood vessels in tumors is different from that in healthy tissue. The researchers can recognize this pattern from advanced analysis of the bubble concentrations. And because tumors need blood and hence new blood vessels – to grow, the researchers expect to be able to see how aggressive the cancer is from the pattern of the blood vessels.

The technology has been tested on four patients from whom the affected prostate was removed, dr.ir. Massimo Mischi of the TU/e department of Electrical Engineering explains. The location and size of the tumors turned out to match accurately with the images produced using the new technology. Mischi presented these first, promising results at a recent conference in Chicago.

No biopsies

Next year the research team will carry out a pilot with biopsies guided by images made using the new technology. This allows the biopsies to be targeted, and therefore more effective. In a later phase the ultrasound technology will be used to decide whether biopsies are required, which will reduce the number of biopsies carried out. The researchers expect their technology to be available in hospitals within five years. The ultimate goal is for doctors to be able to determine if an operation is necessary, and if so what kind of operation, based on the images produced, without the need for biopsies.

All in all doctors will eventually be able to intervene much more accurately, expects prof.dr.ir. Hessel Wijkstra, head of urology research at AMC Amsterdam. Wijkstra was appointed part-time professor of Hemodynamic Contrast Sonography at TU/e last month. Furthermore he believes that there will be less unnecessary operations. In some cases doctors may decide to leave small, non-aggressive tumors untouched and monitor these tumors, in cases where a tumor is not causing any symptoms and is not impairing the health of the patient. In these cases the health effects of surgery are worse than those of the tumor itself. A further positive effect of this new approach is that the total costs will be reduced.

Prostate / Prostate Cancer News From Medical News Today

]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/accurate-diagnosis-of-prostate-cancer-with-ultrasound/feed 0 Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Shrinks Enlarged Prostates In Hamster Model http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/cholesterol-lowering-drug-shrinks-enlarged-prostates-in-hamster-model http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/cholesterol-lowering-drug-shrinks-enlarged-prostates-in-hamster-model#comments Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:53:56 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/cholesterol-lowering-drug-shrinks-enlarged-prostates-in-hamster-model Read more...]]> A cholesterol-lowering drug reduced the enlarged prostates of hamsters to the same extent as a drug commonly used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), report researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston and their colleagues in the October issue of the Journal of Urology. Together, the drugs worked even better.

Ezetrol“We don’t know the mechanism, but the results suggest to us that lowering cholesterol has the potential to reduce BPH in men,” says senior author Keith Solomon, PhD, a biochemist, and member of the departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Urology at Children’s. “This brings up the possibility that other cholesterol lowering therapies, including exercise and diet, may prevent BPH from developing.”

For unknown reasons, about half of men older than 50 (and 80 percent of men aged 80) develop BPH, most often evident as enlargement of the prostate. BPH leads to difficult urination, urgency, pain, and other symptoms that can cause significant reduction in the quality of life. In advanced stages, BPH can lead to renal failure. Standard medical and surgical treatments typically target the prostate and usually result in a reduction of symptoms but not without significant side effects in some men, Solomon said.

The study implicates circulating cholesterol in the progression of the condition and suggests a potential new strategy for prevention and treatment. The latest findings emerge from experiments with a strain of Syrian hamsters that undergo prostate enlargement naturally.

Led by first author Kristine Pelton, the team tested ezetimibe, an FDA-approved hypercholesterolemic drug (Zetia; Merck) against finasteride (Proscar, Propecia; Merck), a standard therapy for the treatment of BPH. Ezetimibe reduced prostatic enlargement in aged hamsters as effectively as finasteride and combining the two drugs worked better than either one alone.

In an unexpected finding, pathologist and co-author Dolores Di Vizio, MD, PhD, observed that finasteride caused atrophy of the hamster prostate while ezetimibe did not. “These findings provide strong evidence that the cholesterol-lowering drug inhibits BPH by a novel mechanism,” said co-author Michael R. Freeman, PhD, professor of Surgery and director of urologic research at Children’s Hospital.

The potentially therapeutic effect of cholesterol-lowering on enlarged prostates was pioneered 40 years earlier by co-author Carl Schaffner, PhD, professor emeritus at Rutgers University, who reported similar results in pre-clinical models using a different cholesterol-lowering drug.

“There is a lot more we want to do in the lab, with regards to studying BPH and the use of cholesterol-based therapies to control disease progression,” says Solomon.

For example, the researchers want to test lower doses of ezetimibe and finasteride to examine whether the condition can be reversed with fewer side effects. They also want to assess prophylactic cholesterol lowering to determine if the enlargement can be prevented, and whether genes and proteins mediating the effect of cholesterol on the prostate can be identified. “We really want to be in the position to help conduct a clinical trial to test whether this therapy might have efficacy in human patients,” Solomon said.

The study also validated the hamster strain as a good preclinical model for testing novel BPH therapies. “The preclinical models for BPH are few, require substantial manipulation or have an unpredictable disease course,” Solomon says. “The Syrian hamster model that we are now using seems particularly good for examining the role of cholesterol in prostate disease, and the testing of novel drug therapies to help alleviate symptoms. We should be able to make substantial progress in developing new treatments and in understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the disease using these hamsters.”

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and a grant from the Hyde and Watson Foundation.

Prostate / Prostate Cancer News From Medical News Today

]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/cholesterol-lowering-drug-shrinks-enlarged-prostates-in-hamster-model/feed 0 Urine Test For Prostate Cancer Hopeful http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/urine-test-for-prostate-cancer-hopeful http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/urine-test-for-prostate-cancer-hopeful#comments Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:56:34 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/urine-test-for-prostate-cancer-hopeful Read more...]]> New research led by UK scientists has shown that a protein in urine could be a reliable marker for prostate cancer risk, and although there is still a lot of work to be done to move it from the laboratory to the clinic, the finding is raising hopes that an easy and reliable clinical test for prostate cancer is now much closer.

prostate researchThe study, led by scientists from the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Cambridge Research Institute and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), was published online on 13 October in PLoS ONE, an open access scientific journal from the Public Library of Science. Scientists from other research centres in the UK, Australia, Spain and the US were also involved in the study.

Lead author Dr Hayley Whitaker, from CRUK’s Cambridge Research Institute, told the press that the protein, microseminoprotein-beta (MSMB), is “easy to detect because it is found in urine and would potentially be a very simple test to carry out on men to identify those most at risk”.

Whitaker and colleagues built on earlier genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that had linked a genetic change linked to prostate cancer risk with a significant reduction in MSMB protein.

The protein, which is produced by normal prostate cells and secreted into urine from semen, regulates cell apoptosis or programmed cell death and is linked to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

MSMB is the second most abundant protein in semen after prostate specific antigen (PSA), the protein used in the current test for prostate cancer.

The reason that people are getting excited about this research is because unlike PSA, levels of this protein appear to be unaffected by an enlarged prostate or by hormones, thus raising the hope that it will lead to a more reliable test.

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the current PSA test, for instance whether to use it for routine prostate cancer screening like the mammography test is used for breast cancer screening, because PSA can go up for reasons other than prostate cancer, and not all prostate cancers raise PSA.

One hope is that a test based on MSMB could be used in conjunction with PSA to help identify men at greater risk of developing prostate cancer.

Co-author Professor Dr Rosalind Eeles, of the ICR and the The Royal Marsden Hospital, said:

“Our studies have shown that men with a small change in their MSMB gene are at a higher risk of prostate cancer, and so we are very excited that there may be a simple test for this genetic change.”

“At the moment, PSA testing is the best method we have to detect prostate cancer but it has significant limitations, so there is an urgent need to find new biomarkers such as MSMB that could be used in screening and diagnosis,” she added.

Whitaker explained that they “looked in tissue and urine from over 350 men with and without prostate cancer to find out how much MSMB they had”.

“We then looked to see who had the genetic change. It was really exciting to find out that the genetic change and the amount of protein were linked,” she added.

The earlier GWAS research that the researchers in this study built on had scanned the genomes of thousands of men with and without prostate cancer.

Those studies found a small “single letter” nucleotide variant called rs10993994 was strongly linked to an increased risk of developing cancer. The variant is common and occurs in about 30 to 40 per cent of European men and 70 to 80 per cent of men with African ancestry.

However, it should be stressed that not all men who carry the variant will develop prostate cancer: studies suggest that having one copy of the variant (ie from one parent), confers a 1.3 times higher risk of developing prostate cancer compared with carrying none.

The location of the variant is in a section of DNA that controls the production of MSMB, such that in carriers of the variant (the “high risk allele”) MSMB is less active than normal.

Whitaker and colleagues found that men who carried two copies of the high-risk rs10993994 variant had the lowest levels of MSMB protein in their prostate tissue, while those who carried no copies had the highest.

They also found that:

“Urinary MSMB was better than urinary PSA at differentiating men with prostate cancer at all Gleason grades. ”

They concluded that the variant they found from the genome studies does have an effect on the prostate and prostate cancer and that their study provides the “first link” between the genetic variant and a “potential test in human tissue and bodily fluids”.

“There is potential to develop tissue and urinary MSMB for a biomarker of prostate cancer risk, diagnosis and disease monitoring,” they added.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, where in 2006 more than 35,000 men were diagnosed with the disease and every year over 10,000 die from it.

Funds from the University of Cambridge, CRUK, The Institute of Cancer Research, The Everyman Campaign, the EU, Hutchison Whampoa Limited and The Prostate Cancer Research Foundation helped pay for the study.

Prostate / Prostate Cancer News From Medical News Today

]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/urine-test-for-prostate-cancer-hopeful/feed 0 Robot To Have First Clinical Trial Test In Prostate Cancer Patients http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/robot-to-have-first-clinical-trial-test-in-prostate-cancer-patients http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/robot-to-have-first-clinical-trial-test-in-prostate-cancer-patients#comments Sun, 17 Oct 2010 03:54:13 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/robot-to-have-first-clinical-trial-test-in-prostate-cancer-patients Read more...]]> In the first-of-a-kind clinical trial, a robot will be used to place therapeutic radioactive seeds in prostate cancer patients. The National Cancer Institute-supported study, which will enroll 14 patients, has just opened at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

robot euclideanThe robot has been designed by Thomas Jefferson University scientists to provide the steadiest and most precise method possible to implant scores of the seeds directly at the site of a cancerous tumor in the prostate gland, eliminating the possibility of human error, says Adam Dicker, MD, PhD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson.

This will be the first test in the U.S. and worldwide of robot-assisted brachytherapy for treating prostate cancer, he says. The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved Thomas Jefferson University’s application to test the device in patients.

Prostate brachytherapy, which requires accurate insertion of some 60 – 120 radioactive seeds in very specific places in the prostate, involves a high degree of clinical skill and attention to detail, he says. “When performed with good quality, brachytherapy offers excellent cure rates compared to surgery, external radiation and proton therapy,” Dr. Dicker says. “However, poorly placed seeds may lead to urinary and rectal toxicities.”

Currently, physicians use a plastic or metal template with holes in which to insert 15-20 needles that contain radioactive seeds into the prostate gland. But because this grid is thin, it is difficult for a person guiding it to push it smoothly and straightly through glandular tissue. “The template forms a pivot point of sort, so the needles, which are unsupported, can twist ever so slightly,” he says. “Getting the seeds to the right place is very important because of the side effects that can occur from the radiation they emit.”

“With its motorized controls and imaging feedback, the robot can systemically place the seeds in a way we believe is more consistently accurate than a human can be,” says Yan Yu, PhD, Professor and Director of the Medical Physics Division in the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Dr. Yu led a team of medical physicists, engineers, radiation oncologists, radiologists and urologists who spent seven years developing the robotic system, which is called EUCLIDIAN. It incorporates high resolution ultrasound image processing, dose planning using genetic algorithms, 3D visualization, smart needle rotation for reducing tissue deformation and prostate displacement, and force feedback from nano-sensors installed at various points on the robot. Needle insertion and seed delivery are fully automatic.

“The robot is controlled by a physician via a handheld controller and a computer interface,” he says. “It is capable of reverting to manual needle and seed insertion any time the physician desires.”

Dr. Yu says the robot has been described in 30 scientific papers by the Jefferson team, and the intraoperative software that operates the robot has been under development for more than 15 years and has been reported in 20 scientific papers.

“Robotic brachytherapy combines the expertise of a multi-disciplinary clinical team led by radiation oncologists, with the most sophisticated robot technologies available today, to aim for the ultimate goal of delivering the best possible dose distribution each time for every patient, and verifying this before the patient leaves the procedure,” said Dr. Dicker, who is the principal investigator of the EUCLIDIAN clinical trial at Jefferson.

Source: Thomas Jefferson University

Prostate / Prostate Cancer News From Medical News Today

]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/robot-to-have-first-clinical-trial-test-in-prostate-cancer-patients/feed 0 Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia – Symptoms, Causes and Natural Remedies http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia-symptoms-causes-and-natural-remedies http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia-symptoms-causes-and-natural-remedies#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 03:52:01 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/?p=2266 Read more...]]> The prostate is a male gland that secretes the fluid (a part of the semen) which carries sperm from the testicles during ejaculation. The prostate is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It surrounds the first inch of the urethra (the tube through which urine and sperm exit the body). Usually, the prostate gland starts to enlarge after middle age. When the prostate becomes enlarged, the condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Benign Prostate HyperplasiaThat obstruction may be the reason for your symptoms. As the prostate grows and grows, that growth puts pressure on the urethra, resulting in hesitancy urinating, a slowdown of the urine stream, the urgent or overly frequent need to urinate and the aforementioned dribbling. It may also result in urine retention, which weaken bladder muscle and increase your risks of developing either UTI’s (urinary tract infections) or kidney stones. In certain severe cases of BPH, urine can also back up into and thereby cause damage to the kidneys or prevent a patient from urinating at all, a situation that requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: -
Symptoms differ among patients with BPH, but certain symptoms occur in the majority of cases. The number and intensity of symptoms also vary with age. Men who have milder symptoms and whose BPH has minimal impact on their quality of life may not require treatment. The most commonly reported symptoms of BPH include: (Lepor HL et al 2002; Scher HI 2001):

  • Decrease in strength of the urinary stream and a decrease in the stream’s diameter
  • Increased frequency in urinating during the day
  • Need to urinate several times during the night
  • Sensation of needing to urinate immediately (urgency)
  • Straining to force urine out
  • Dribbling urine or having difficulty stopping urination
  • Having the feeling of still needing to urinate even after the stream has stopped
  • Pain or a burning sensation during urination

Causes of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: -
Nobody knows the basic cause of BPH. Research shows that testosterone, the male hormone, or dihydrotestosterone, a chemical produced when testosterone breaks down in a man’s body, may cause the prostate to keep growing. Another theory is that changes in the ratio of testosterone and estrogen (female hormone) as men age cause the prostate to grow.

Some over the counter medications for colds or allergies can drastically worsen BPH.

Natural Remedies for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: -
You may, with your doctor’s advice consider herbal supplements. Many herbal prostate supplements with saw palmetto oil, one of the top 10 herbal remedies in the world used for prostate conditions, can significantly improve symptoms. In fact, herbal remedies for prostate enlargement frequently combine these herbs along with saw palmetto.. Enlarged prostate is known to improve with nutrients such as Beta Sitosterol, Lycopene, Campesterol, Selenium, zinc and Uva ursi. Cod liver oil and borage oil are also useful. A diet rich in fibre and a clean colon will contribute enormously to a healthy prostate.

Please visit our website for more information on benign prostatic hyperplasia and bph treatment.  Also visit more on bph prostate

]]> http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia-symptoms-causes-and-natural-remedies/feed 0 Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) – What Are The Risks? http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/benign-prostate-hyperplasia-bph-what-are-the-risks http://savvyhealthfitness.com/get-healthy/prostate/benign-prostate-hyperplasia-bph-what-are-the-risks#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:50:45 +0000 Kieran http://savvyhealthfitness.com/?p=1900 Read more...]]> As men get older the vast majority of them will experience a disorder of the prostate known as benign prostate hyperplasia. BPH, while distressing, is a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate gland. This gland is very small at birth and doesn\’t really begin to grow until the onset of puberty. It reaches full size at around twenty years of age.

BPH risksAs the male reaches forty to forty-five years benign hyperplasia, which is an increase in the number of cells, will begin to occur and will continue slowly for the rest of their life. Symptoms normally won\’t appear until around the age of 55 with about one-fourth of all men experiencing them. By the age of 75 nearly half of all men will begin to experiencing the problems associated with BPH and most men learn they have this condition upon visiting their doctor with complaints of some form of urinary problems.

Medical science does not know what causes benign prostate hyperplasia but it is known that certain risk factors, including age, family history, ethnicity, and hormone changes, can all play a role in its development. There are two preconditions which are necessary for the onset of BPH which are an age of at least 50 years old and the presence of testicles. An interesting side note on BPH is that men who are castrated before the onset of puberty never develop this condition.

There are several hormones responsible for prostate growth with Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) being the most important. DHT is made in prostate and is responsible for its growth. It is known that as men age hormone levels tend to drop but it is thought that the prostate itself becomes more sensitive to the DHT that is available. The female hormone estrogen is produced in small amounts in all males and is thought to be one of the factors that sensitize the prostate to the effects of DHT. Because of this any rise in estrogen levels, either because of aging or from outside sources is thought to increase the occurrence of BHP.

Benign prostate hyperplasia begins through the formation of small nodules in the periurethal glands in the inner layers of the organ. This is known as hyperplasia. AT the same time there is also an enlargement of the glandular cells which is called hypertrophy. It can take a long period of time for these changes to slowly occur.

As the prostate tissue expands it will eventually begin to tighten around the urethra which will cause a partial or complete obstruction of urine flow from the bladder. When this occurs the detrusor muscles will hypertrophy to compensate for this increased resistance, somewhat mitigating the symptoms. Unfortunately this will cause decreased bladder compliance and bladder instability. It is at this time that the signs and symptoms of BPH begin to appear.

This includes a weak urinary stream, increased time to urinate, hesitancy, incomplete emptying of the bladder, and post urination dribbling.  Irritation of the bladder and urethra can also occur which can lead to an increased urinating frequency, urgency, incontinence, nocturia, dysuria, and bladder pain.
If an enlarged prostate is not treated and reduced in size a multitude of complications can begin to develop. The bladder can stretch and distend as more and more urine begins to be retained inside it. This can result in out-pouchings of the bladder wall, often referred to as Diverticula. Any distension can cause a blockage of the ureters, causing a back up of urine and infection back into the kidneys, causing kidney infections.

Benign prostate hyperplasia is normally treated with a number of drugs which reduce the swelling and relieve the pressure on the urinary tract. While in and of itself it is not a normally life threatening condition, left untreated it can cause complications which may be. It is therefore important for all males to have regular prostate exams starting around the age of forty-five. If you have any of the symptoms of this disease it is also important to visit your doctor as soon as possible.

To learn more about Prostate Health please visit the website Prostate Health Answers by clicking here.

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