Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. The disease usually develops slowly and there may be no signs for many years. Symptoms don’t usually appear until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the urethra. This can cause problems with urination, such as needing to pee more frequently, often during the night, and needing to rush to the toilet. Other common symptoms include difficulty in starting to pee, weak flow and straining or taking a long time peeing. Blood in urine or semen and a feeling the bladder has not emptied fully are other common signs of the disease. These symptoms do not necessarily signal prostate cancer, and could be a sign of a non-cancerous condition called prostate enlargement. Prostate enlargement is when the prostate becomes enlarged, putting pressure on the bladder and urethra. It is common in men aged of 50 and isn’t usually a serious threat to health. When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it can...

December 27, 2018 This article originally appeared on Renal and Urology News. Share this content: Statin use by men receiving ADT for advanced PCa was associated with decreased risk of overall and cancer-specific mortality. Statin use by men receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PCa) is associated with improved overall and cancer-specific survival, new data suggest. The data are from an observational study that included 87,346 men on ADT for advanced PCa identified using the national Veterans Affairs database. Of these patients, 53,360 used statins and 33,986 did not. Statin users had a significantly longer median overall survival (6.5 vs 4.0 years) and a significantly greater 5-year cancer-specific survival rate (94% vs 87.3%), a team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison led by Kyle A. Richards, MD, reported online ahead of print in Urologic Oncology . Continue Reading Below Statin use independently predicted a significant 34% decreased risk...

SYOSSET - A law that begins in the new year could be a lifesaver for men in New York state. The law that takes effect Jan. 1 requires all health insurance plans in the state to provide prostate cancer screenings to men free of cost. According to the state Department of Health, 14,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, and 1,700 die from the disease annually. Dr. Deepak Kappor, CEO of urology practice Integrated Medical Professionals, lobbied for the bill to be signed into law. He says the effort was to ensure that those at the highest risk are able to detect the cancer early, including men with family history, veterans who were exposed to toxins and African-Americans. "These are individuals who their access to screening is being curtailed and those are the most vulnerable populations that really needed the help," Kappor says. Prostate cancer survivors like John Sattler, of Syosset, say that early detection is key. He went to the doctor for a regular phys...

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. The disease usually develops slowly and there may be no signs for many years. Symptoms don’t usually appear until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the urethra. This can cause problems with urination, such as needing to pee more frequently, often during the night, and needing to rush to the toilet. Other common symptoms include difficulty in starting to pee, weak flow and straining or taking a long time peeing. Blood in urine or semen and a feeling the bladder has not emptied fully are other common signs of the disease. These symptoms do not necessarily signal prostate cancer, and could be a sign of a non-cancerous condition called prostate enlargement. Prostate enlargement is when the prostate becomes enlarged, putting pressure on the bladder and urethra. It is common in men aged of 50 and isn’t usually a serious threat to health. When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it can...

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. The disease usually develops slowly and there may be no signs for many years. Symptoms don’t usually appear until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the urethra. This can cause problems with urination, such as needing to pee more frequently, often during the night, and needing to rush to the toilet. Other common symptoms include difficulty in starting to pee, weak flow and straining or taking a long time peeing. Blood in urine or semen and a feeling the bladder has not emptied fully are other common signs of the disease. These symptoms do not necessarily signal prostate cancer, and could be a sign of a non-cancerous condition called prostate enlargement. Prostate enlargement is when the prostate becomes enlarged, putting pressure on the bladder and urethra. It is common in men aged of 50 and isn’t usually a serious threat to health. When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it can...

MACON, Ga. -- Macon man Everett Collins spent Christmas with his wife, children and grandchildren. But Collins says his Christmas miracle didn't end three days ago -- everyday he is cancer-free is a blessing. Collins says it was back in 1998 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. At the time, he couldn't believe it. He was fit at just 47-years-old. Although he began feeling a little under the weather, Collins never expected cancer. That's when he had to make a tough decision -- undergoing surgery to remove his prostate. But Collins says that wasn't the end of his battle. Just a year later, he went back for a follow up only to find out he now needed radiation. The cancer was back and Collins says if it wasn't for the help of his wife, he wouldn't be here today. "I couldn't hardly walk, I couldn't get up," he said. "And I remember falling on the floor one day. "I said, 'I can't go this morning, I'm done. I...

SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Yonhap) -- The survival rate of South Korean cancer patients topped 70 percent in 2016, sharply up from a decade ago, government data showed Thursday. The rate of people being diagnosed with cancer and living more than five years came to 70.6 percent between 2012 and 2016, up from 54 percent tallied for the 2001-2005 period, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The five-year survival rate for thyroid cancer reached 100.2 percent, with numbers for prostate and breast cancer reaching 93.9 percent and 92.7 percent during the cited period, respectively, the latest findings showed. The cancer survival rate hovering above 100 percent does not mean that not a single thyroid cancer patient has died, officials said. The number means the survival rate of a cancer patient is higher compared to an average standard population with the same age and sex. The findings showed the survival rate for liver and lung cancer stood at 34....

Share this Article You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. When scientists stabilized a key protein responsible for leukemia, MLL, it slowed the progression of the disease in mice, according to a new study. The next step, researchers say, is to combine the treatments from the past two years of research into a pediatric leukemia “super drug” to test on humans in a clinical trial. “This is a monster cancer that we’ve been dealing with for many years in children.” Children diagnosed with MLL-translocation leukemia, a cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow have a 30 percent survival rate. Patients with leukemia have a very low percentage of red blood cells, making them anemic, and have approximately 80 times more white blood cells than people without cancer. “These white blood cells infiltrate many of the tissues and organs of the affected individuals and is a major cause of death in leukemia patients,” says senior auth...

by Jeffrey Albaugh, PhD, APRN, CUCNS, Director of Sexual Health, NorthShore University HealthSystem It’s probably no surprise that most men highly value sex and intimacy, and that includes men with prostate cancer. The prostate is a gland that’s about the size and shape of a walnut. Located below the bladder and in front of the rectum, it produces a fluid that mixes with sperm. Prostate cancer treatment side effects can include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, which can have a negative impact on sexual health, intimacy and overall quality of life. Sex and intimacy are a vital part of the human journey. We are hardwired for an intimate connection with other human beings. If you are in a close, loving relationship, sex may be an important part of the lives of you and your partner. As men grow older, health issues can impact sexual function. Some of the more common health issues that impact sex are diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and/or sid...

There are several reasons for back pain from injury and kidney problems to spinal issues and overuse, to name a few. Researchers suggest that back pain may also be a sign of possible prostate cancer. It’s important to note that having back pain along with other symptoms could indicate prostate cancer. Rarely, back pain alone is a sign of prostate cancer. Cancer cells in the prostate can spread to other parts of the body, mainly the bones known as bone metastasis. When this occurs, it reaches the spine, ribs, and hips. This is most commonly seen in stage four prostate cancer and results in back pain. It is estimated that 60 percent of men with advanced prostate cancer will experience bone metastasis. Other symptoms of prostate cancer include frequent and urgent urination , nighttime urination (nocturia) , reduced urine flow, pain with urination or ejaculation, and blood in the urine or semen. It’s important to note that these symptoms can also occur with benign prostatic hyperplasi...

by Jeffrey Albaugh, PhD, APRN, CUCNS, Director of Sexual Health, NorthShore University HealthSystem It’s probably no surprise that most men highly value sex and intimacy, and that includes men with prostate cancer. The prostate is a gland that’s about the size and shape of a walnut. Located below the bladder and in front of the rectum, it produces a fluid that mixes with sperm. Prostate cancer treatment side effects can include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, which can have a negative impact on sexual health, intimacy and overall quality of life. Sex and intimacy are a vital part of the human journey. We are hardwired for an intimate connection with other human beings. If you are in a close, loving relationship, sex may be an important part of the lives of you and your partner. As men grow older, health issues can impact sexual function. Some of the more common health issues that impact sex are diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and/or sid...

by Jeffrey Albaugh, PhD, APRN, CUCNS, Director of Sexual Health, NorthShore University HealthSystem It’s probably no surprise that most men highly value sex and intimacy, and that includes men with prostate cancer. The prostate is a gland that’s about the size and shape of a walnut. Located below the bladder and in front of the rectum, it produces a fluid that mixes with sperm. Prostate cancer treatment side effects can include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, which can have a negative impact on sexual health, intimacy and overall quality of life. Sex and intimacy are a vital part of the human journey. We are hardwired for an intimate connection with other human beings. If you are in a close, loving relationship, sex may be an important part of the lives of you and your partner. As men grow older, health issues can impact sexual function. Some of the more common health issues that impact sex are diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and/or sid...

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. Symptoms of the disease do not usually appear until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the urethra. This can cause problems with urination, such as difficulty starting to pee, weak flow and straining when peeing. Other related symptoms include needing to pee more frequently - often during the night, needing to rush to the toilet and a feeling the bladder has not emptied fully. Blood in the urine or semen are also symptoms. These symptoms do not necessarily signal prostate cancer, but could be a sign of a non-cancerous condition called prostate enlargement . Prostate enlargement is common in men over the age of 50 and isn’t usually a serious threat to health. It happens when the prostate becomes enlarged, which places pressure on the bladder and urethra. “These symptoms should not be ignored, but they do not mean you have prostate cancer,” said the NHS. “It's more likely they're caused...

December 24, 2018 Share this content: In a Spanish study, the highest vs tertile of dietary zinc intake was associated with a significant 66% increased relative risk of low-grade prostate cancer. High dietary intake of zinc, a key trace element in normal prostate cell metabolism, may be associated with an elevated risk of low-grade prostate cancer (PCa), a new study suggests. In a case-control study conducted in Spain, investigators found that men in the highest tertile of dietary zinc intake (greater than 10.53 mg/day) had a significant 66% increased relative risk of Gleason 6 PCa compared with those in the lowest tertile (less than 8.34 mg/day), in adjusted analyses, Enrique Gutiérrez-González, MD, of the National School of Public Health, Carlos III Institute of Health, Madrid, and colleagues reported in Nutrients . Continue Reading Below The study found no significant associations between zinc intake and higher-grade or more advanced PCa tumors. The investigators also l...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Adding RT to ADT Beneficial in Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Prostate Cancer    Clinical Oncology News Local radiation therapy (RT) improves overall survival (OS) by 32% in patients diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer who have a low metastatic disease ... http://bit.ly/2RiTtDa

December 24, 2018 Share this content: Prostate cancer information in YouTube videos and/or comments section may be biased or misinformation. YouTube is an easily accessed and oftentimes entertaining resource for science and health information, with a repository of more than 7 billion videos. But how accurate is the presented information? In a study published in the European Association of Urology , researchers reported on the largest, most comprehensive study to date assessing the quality of prostate cancer information available on the medium. The researchers evaluated the first 150 videos to appear on prostate cancer screening and treatment. They determined the quality of the presented information using the validated DISCERN quality criteria for consumer health information and the Patient Education Materials and Assessment Tool. Continue Reading Below The evaluated videos had up to 1.3 million views with an overall average of 45,223 views, and a moderate quality of informa...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Adding RT to ADT Beneficial in Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Prostate Cancer    Clinical Oncology News Local radiation therapy (RT) improves overall survival (OS) by 32% in patients diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer who have a low metastatic disease ... http://bit.ly/2RiTtDa

With the increasing adoption of novel technologies and anatomical techniques, surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) provides significant benefits in terms of obstruction relief, early urethral catheter removal, and faster return to daily activities. However, the main pitfall of BPH surgery in sexually active men remains ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD), which permanently affects quality of life. To detail a novel technique for marking the intraprostatic urethra through a retrograde injection of indocyanine green to enhance selective dissection of prostatic lobes during urethra-sparing robot-assisted simple prostatectomy (US-RASP) with the use of near-infrared fluorescence imaging (NIFI). Between January and September 2017, 12 consecutive male patients, who had BPH, were sexually active, and were motivated to preserve ejaculatory function, underwent US-RASP. US-RASP with NIFI to enhance the identification and preservation of the prostatic urethra. Clinical data were...

Photo by Anaya Katlego Black men diagnosed with prostate cancer classified as low risk may actually have a more aggressive form of the disease that is more likely to be fatal than in non-black men placed in the same prognostic category, a new study suggests. This disparity emerged from research led by a  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute  scientist and published as a report in  JAMA.  The study analyzed databases of hundreds of thousands of men diagnosed with prostate cancer and assigned a Gleason score on the basis of a biopsy and examination of samples of the cancer under a microscope. Gleason scores range from 6 to 10, with higher numbers (7-10) indicating greater risk and higher mortality. The study findings focused on men who were classified as Gleason 6, which signifies a favorable prognosis with a low risk of death, and a cancer that doesn’t necessarily need to be treated – at least not immediately. Many men in this category, after a conversation with their ...

The Blue Tie Guys campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer culminated Dec. 12 with the crowning of “The Top Knot” at an event sponsored by Sam Shallenberger at Morrison Supply, 1345 Geronimo. Every type of cancer has a ribbon color associated with it, and prostate cancer is represented with a light blue ribbon. During the month of November, 16 El Pasoans wore blue ties or blue-tie-guy t-shirts to raise awareness and financial support for prostate cancer. Sam Shallenberger was named The Top Knot for raising the most money during the campaign. Donations are still coming in, and the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation hasn’t released the final tally yet. The Blue Tie Guys were: Allan Goldfarb, Bob Snow, Christian Pistella, David Candelaria, Eduardo Gutierrez, Gilberto Gonzalez, Joseph Austin, Ken Slavin, Lance Van Deman, Ray Adauto, Ric Lara, Riccardo Barraza, Ruben Schaeffer, Sam Shallenberger, Ted Escobedo and Victor Mascorro Jr. http://bit.ly/2Afeo0t

December 20, 2018 Share this content: Study of Canadian men looked at the association between prostate cancer and participants’ socioeconomic position during childhood/adolescence and early and late adulthood. Disadvantageous socioeconomic position (SEP) over the course of a man's lifetime is associated with a greater likelihood of developing prostate cancer (PCa), with consistent evidence of sensitive time periods for cancer aggressiveness, according to Canadian researchers. A team led by Marie-Élise Parent, PhD, of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, Quebec, Canada, examined data from the Prostate Cancer & Environment Study (PROtEuS), a population-based case-control study that included 1930 PCa patients in Montreal. All the men were diagnosed with histologically-confirmed PCa from 2005 to 2009. The investigators identified 1991 men to serve as controls. All study participants were interviewed in-person, and infor...

Thirty years ago, researchers from Sweden, Finland, and Iceland embarked on a landmark study of nearly 700 men with prostate cancer. The men were randomized to two groups; one underwent radical prostatectomy and the other, "watchful waiting" (WW), with treatment only for symptoms. They were followed for an average of 23 years. 80% are now deceased. The Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group published another report last week on its Number 4 study (SPCG-4) in the New England Journal of Medicine . It showed men who underwent radical prostatectomy lived an average 2.9 years longer than those undergoing the original crude approach of watchful waiting. This doesn't mean all men with prostate cancer ought to run out and undergo radical surgery. The researchers found that it was possible to predict which patients were more likely to die from prostate cancer based on the presence of extracapsular extension in biopsies and high Gleason scores (8 or 9). Scott Eggener, MD, co-dire...

Mace Rothenberg, MD Enzalutamide (Xtandi) plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) significantly improved radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) compared with ADT alone, according to topline results of the phase III ARCHES trial (NCT02677896). 1 Results of a preliminary safety analysis showed that the safety profile of enzalutamide was consistent with prior studies of the androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor. Full findings of the trial are slated to be presented at an upcoming medical meeting, according to Pfizer and Astellas, the co-developers of enzalutamide. "While Xtandi is currently approved for both metastatic and nonmetastatic CRPC, there still remains a need for more treatment options for men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer," Mace Rothenberg, MD, chief development officer, Oncology, Pfizer Global Product Development, said in a press release. "With these top-line results, we believe Xtandi has the potential to help men whose disease has pro...

December 20, 2018 Share this content: In a study, visual registration in conjunction with image fusion resulted in the highest detection rate of clinically significant prostate cancer. Visual registration in combination with image fusion may offer the highest detection rate of clinically significantly prostate cancer (PCa) and thus could aid in risk stratification, according to a new study published in European Urology. Studies have shown that multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-targeted prostate biopsies can improve detection of clinically significant PCa while decreasing the risk of overdetection of insignificant cancers. Still, controversy remains regarding whether visual-registration targeting (mentally translating mpMRI targets onto real-time ultrasound images) is sufficient or whether augmentation of this approach with image-fusion software may be optimal, according to a team led by Hashim U. Ahmed, MD, PhD, of Imperial College London, UK. Continue Reading...

December 18, 2018 Share this content: Statin use by men receiving ADT for advanced PCa was associated with decreased risk of overall and cancer-specific mortality. Statin use by men receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PCa) is associated with improved overall and cancer-specific survival, new data suggest. Continue Reading Below The data are from an observational study that included 87,346 men on ADT for advanced PCa identified using the national Veterans Affairs database. Of these patients, 53,360 used statins and 33,986 did not. Statin users had a significantly longer median overall survival (6.5 vs 4.0 years) and a significantly greater 5-year cancer-specific survival rate (94% vs 87.3%), a team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison led by Kyle A. Richards, MD, reported online ahead of print in Urologic Oncology . Statin use independently predicted a significant 34% decreased risk of death from any cause, 44% decreased risk of death from PCa...

Sanjay Gupta, PhD , of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center will receive $962,000 over three years to investigate drug resistance mechanisms in prostate cancer. The funding is part of the Department of Defense's Idea Award program, that aims to improve quality of life by decreasing the impact of cancer on active duty service members and their communities. Gupta will use the award and clinically-approved drugs to develop a safe, efficacious, and cost-effective combination therapy for castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Gupta is the Carter Kissell Professor and Research Director in the Department of Urology, a research scientist at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Castrate-resistant prostate cancer is the deadliest form of prostate cancer," Gupta said. "It often emerges after a man has one or both testes removed, as a tumor begins to ada...

Hello. I'm Dr Gerald Chodak, for Medscape. Today's topic addresses an important question in the management of men with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer . Namely, is there benefit from treating the local tumor? To evaluate this, Parker and coworkers [ 1 ] have recently reported on the STAMPEDE trial , in which 2000 men with metastatic disease were randomized to receive either androgen deprivation therapy alone or in combination with local radiation therapy . An important feature was the study design, in which they stratified patients based on low-volume or high-volume metastatic disease, where low-volume disease meant having fewer than four metastatic sites. So far, the overall results have been disappointing in that there was no statistically significant improvement in survival. However, when they looked at patients with low-volume metastasis, there was a statistically significant improvement [in overall survival]. However, this improvement was rather small, mean...