Prostate Cancer Blog for Wives and Partners

New Prostate Cancer Test

A new test (Oncotype DX®) that predicts disease aggressiveness and offers information beyond current PSA testing and a biopsy Gleason Score is now available, according to Geonomic Health, Inc. The new test is being hailed as a way to help men with prostate cancer and their doctors choose the most appropriate treatment based on an individualized risk assessment. The test measures the level of expression of 17 genes across four biological pathways to predict prostate cancer aggressiveness. In a validation study of 395 men, information obtained from the test significantly increased the number of men who were identified as having very low risk prostate cancer and were candidates for active surveillance. May 9, 2013.

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Study: Genetic Signature May Help Predict Need for Treatment After Prostate Cancer Surgery

A genetic signature (a group of genes in a type of cell that have a combined expression pattern that is a unique characteristic of a medical condition) that appears to reflect the risk of prostate cancer tumor recurrence — or the spread of cancer — in men who have undergone surgery for prostate cancer has been identified by a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers. If other studies can confirm these findings, it may help determine whether men will need additional treatment after radical prostatectomy. It may also help distinguish prostate cancer tumors that need to be treated aggressively from tumors that can be safely monitored. The results of the study appear online in PNAS Early Edition. April 16, 2013.

American College of Physicians Issues New PSA Guidelines

Doctors should inform men ages 50 to 69 years about the limited potential benefits and substantial potential harms of prostate cancer screening, according to "Screening for Prostate Cancer: A Guidance Statement from the American College of Physicians." April 11, 2013.

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Study: Intermittent Hormone Therapy vs. Continuous Therapy

Men with metastatic prostate cancer who had on-and-off hormone therapy did not live as long as men who had continuous treatment (5.1 years vs. 5.8 years), according to a University of Michigan Health System press release about a study by Hussain et al that followed 1,535 men for nearly ten years. The study authors concluded, however, that their results were statistically inconclusive because “too few events occurred to rule out significant inferiority of intermittent therapy.” Results of the study were published in the April 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. April 11, 2013.

Study: Genetic Condition Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk

Men who have Lynch syndrome — an inherited genetic condition — have a higher lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. These men also seem to develop prostate cancer at an earlier age. April 2, 2013.

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Men Needed for Research Study

Researchers at George Mason University are conducting a study to learn more about how the internet affects men’s experiences living with prostate cancer. Your responses may help others understand how internet sites related to prostate cancer can be improved. This study involves completing an online survey, which should take you 10 minutes or less. Your answers will be confidential. Your participation is completely voluntary and the survey may be stopped at any time without penalty to you. Click on the link below to get to the survey or contact Camella Rising at crising@gmu.edu. The survey ends on April 25, 2013. March 29, 2013

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Study: Women Can Motivate Men to Seek ED Treatment

There are specific ways that women can motivate men to seek professional help for erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a study by Gerster et al, published in the International Journal of Impotence Research. While the study only included twelve couples, it does provide ten recommendations (click on "Info Box 1" near the end of the page) that may be helpful for both supporting and talking to your partner about his ED. March 19, 2013.

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Surgery or Radiation for Prostate Cancer: Is One Better Than the Other?

An abstract presented at the 28th Annual EAU Congress in Milan reveals that a large Swedish observational study has demonstrated that radical prostatectomy is superior to radiation therapy in men with localized prostate cancer while a long-term study published in the March issue of the Journal of Oncology shows that radioactive seed implants is just as effective as prostate cancer surgery. Which one should you believe? It’s important to read clinical studies with discernment, paying close attention to how many men were included in the study, how severe the men’s disease was, and what the study methods were. Click the link below for more helpful information about reading clinical studies. March 18, 2013.

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Study: Influence of Stress on Prostate Cancer Treatment

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have demonstrated that induced stress in mice implanted with human prostate cancer cells negatively affected androgen ablation therapy with the drug bicalutamide. Prostate cancer tumors decreased in size in mice that were kept calm while mice that were subjected to repeated stress did not respond as well to treatment. Stress also accelerated the development of prostate cancer. Researchers believe that adrenaline initiates a cellular reaction that controls cell death, according to a Science News report. The study (by Hassan et al) appears in the January online version of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. January 29, 2013.

Fiber May Play a Fabulous Role in Prostate Cancer

Researchers are suggesting that a high-fiber diet may prevent the progression of early-stage prostate cancer. Science Daily has reported on an animal study in the January 2013 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, which demonstrated that mice fed with a major component of high-fiber diets (called inositol hexaphosphate or IP6) had radically reduced tumor volumes. While promising, human studies are needed. January 10, 2013.

MRI-guided Biopsy for Prostate Cancer

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) used in combination with real-time ultrasound is a more accurate method of detecting prostate cancer, according to a UCLA study published in the online January 2013 issue of The Journal of Urology, as reported by ScienceDaily. Researchers worked with 171 men with elevated PSA scores who were monitoring slow-growing prostate cancers through active surveillance (watchful waiting). It was reported that MRI and ultrasound fusion biopsy was shown to be more accurate than conventional biopsy, may lead to fewer biopsies, and early detection of prostate cancer. December 11, 2012.

Prostate Cancer Books

Prostate cancer books that may help you and your loved one as you cope with the disease.

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Study: Cabozantinib and Metastatic Cancer to the Bone

Improvements in bone scans were reported in approximately two-thirds of patients treated with cabozantinib, according to a new study reported by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Medical News Today is reporting that the drug had the most effect on tumors that spread to a man’s bones, which is a primary site for the spread of prostate cancer. December 6, 2012.

Xtandi® (Enzalutamide) Receives FDA Approval

The FDA has approved Xtandi capsules for men with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer who have previously used the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. In a clinical trial, men who received Xtandi lived nearly five months longer (median overall survival) than men who did not receive the drug (18.4 months vs. 13.6 months), according to a Medivation press release. Xtandi is an oral, once-daily androgen receptor inhibitor. It is expected to cost about $7,450 a month, according to The New York Times . It may also be some time before it is readily available in US pharmacies. September 4, 2012.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of the disease and to support research efforts. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States. This past year, we have seen the pendulum swing backward by de-emphasizing the value of PSA testing. While we agree that PSA testing has its limitations (and we hope that better diagnostic tests will be developed this year) it does save lives. A study published in The Journal of Urology on August 23 indicates that thanks to PSA testing, survival has improved for men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer that has spread to the bones or other areas of the body. And that’s something to celebrate. August 28, 2012.