Prostate cancer patients often receive treatment that is contraindicated by pre-existing conditions, like urinary or bowel dysfunction, according to a new study. Dr. James Talcott of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and co-investigators found that patients with certain pretreatment dysfunctions often receive contraindicated or “mismatched” therapies, which can lead to worse outcomes. The study is published in the January 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

(more…)

Men who are overweight or obese when diagnosed with prostate cancer are at greater risk of death after treatment, according to a new study in the December 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study, by Dr. Jason Efstathiou from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and colleagues, found that a greater body mass index (BMI) at the time of cancer diagnosis was an independent risk factor for prostate cancer-related death. Overweight and obese men (men with BMI ¡Ý25 kg/m2) at the time of diagnosis were nearly twice as likely to die from locally advanced prostate cancer as patients who had a normal BMI at diagnosis.

(more…)

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have found that highly targeted radiation therapy for prostate cancer can ensure that the majority of persons with this tumor will not have any long-term rectal damage.

(more…)

Finding may lead to changes in androgen deprivation therapy
A popular prostate cancer treatment called androgen deprivation therapy may encourage prostate cancer cells to produce a protein that makes them more likely to spread throughout the body, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.

(more…)

Investigational therapy ZD4054 data presented at ECCO

The results from the randomized, double -blind, placebo -controlled, Phase II EPOC (Endothelin A Proof Of Concept) Study of ZD4054 - a specific endothelin A (ETA) receptor antagonist – were delivered today at the 14th European Congress of Clinical Oncology (ECCO, 23-27 September, Barcelona). The data presented today for ZD4054, an investigational compound in development for the treatment of men with hormone resistant prostate cancer (HRPC), showed no differences in progression free survival (PFS) but did report encouraging overall survival (OS) data.

(more…)

Recent investigations of medications, diet and the molecular understanding of prostate cancer are defining potential prevention strategies for the disease, and herald a new stage in the management of this cancer, according to a new review. Writing in the November 1, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, Dr. Neil Fleshner and Dr. Alexandre Zlotta from the University of Toronto say that available medications, such as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and selective estrogen receptor modifiers, show promise in reducing malignancies. In addition, there is strong evidence that dietary fat significantly impacts disease development and promising data that other compounds, such as soy, selenium and green tea, offer additional possibilities for disease prevention.

(more…)

Radiation oncologists and urologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia have begun using a real-time system to implant radiation-emitting seeds in prostate cancer patients. While the system, which is made by Nucletron, a technology company based in The Netherlands, is only being used for imaging and planning purposes so far, it ultimately will help with the actual placement of the seeds. To date, Jefferson is the first medical center in the Delaware Valley to begin employing the new system.

(more…)

DALLAS – Sept. 20, 2007 – Breihan Bridgewater suffers from emphysema. He sleeps on his side because when he lays flat on his back it feels like there’s a boulder resting on his chest.

(more…)

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have found that nutrients in red wine may help reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.

(more…)

Michael Yarborough, a 58-year-old business owner from Waxahachie, Texas, was fortunate. A routine check-up three years ago revealed prostate cancer, but a side effect of his successful surgery was “driving him nuts.”

(more…)