Prostate Cancer Blog Archive

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Calcium and Prostate Cancer Risk in African American Men

A study by epidemiologists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues suggests that a high intake of calcium causes prostate cancer among African-American men who are genetically good absorbers of the mineral. Researchers examined VDR Cdx2 genotype and calcium intake (assessed by a food frequency questionnaire) in 533 African American men who had prostate cancer (256 men had advanced stage at diagnosis while 277 had localized prostate cancer) and 250 African American men who did not have prostate cancer. September 20, 2011.

US Government Says Men Should Not Be Tested for Prostate Cancer

The prostate cancer community is up in arms today over a draft recommendation from the US Preventive Services Task Force (which was organized by the Department of Health and Human Services) that men should not be routinely tested for prostate cancer. Zero sent a notice stating that the decision “contradicts prostate cancer testing recommendations from medical and professional organizations, including the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Urological Association.” The Washington Post reported that the 16-member panel was chaired by a professor of pediatrics. According to Zero, there was not a urologist or a medical oncologist on the panel. October 7, 2011.

Emerging Concepts in Erectile Preservation

The September/October issue of The International Journal of Impotence Research features an article by Moskovic et al that reviews most the recent data in support of therapies for erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. We’ve summarized many of the studies they reviewed on our page about penile rehabilitation, but you may be interested in reading this article, particularly if you are interested in reading about testosterone replacement. September 20, 2011.

Alpharadin Gets Fast Tracked

Alpharadin (radium-223 chloride), an investigational drug for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer in men whose cancer has spread to the bone (called bone metastasis), has been granted Fast Track designation by the Food and Drug Administration, according to Bayer Health Care. The drug contains an alpha-particle emitting nuclide and mimics many of the behaviors of calcium in the bone. Alpharadin's Phase III ALSYMPCA trial met its primary endpoint by considerably improving overall survival of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and symptomatic bone metastases. Results were so impressive that an Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended that the study be stopped and that the patients on placebo (typically a sugar pill with no medication) be offered Alpharadin therapy. In the US, Fast Track Designation is given to medications that treat serious diseases and fill an unmet medical need. September 15, 2011.

Another Urine Test for Prostate Cancer?

Last year, we reported on preliminary laboratory research conducted by scientists (Whitaker et al) in the UK, which demonstrated that a protein in urine could be a reliable marker for prostate cancer. Now a study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology suggests that a new urine test (which is not yet available) may help aid early detection of prostate cancer in men who have an elevated PSA. Researchers looked for a gene fusion that is believed to cause prostate cancer (called TMPRSS2:ERG) and a marker (called PCA3), in the urine samples of 1,312 men who had elevated PSAs. August 11, 2011.

Study: Short-term Hormone Therapy Plus Radiation Therapy Increases Survival

The use of short-term hormone therapy for 4 months before and during radiotherapy in men with stage T1b, T1c, T2a, or T2b prostate cancer, and a PSA level of 20 ng per milliliter or less, was associated with significantly decreased disease-specific mortality and increased overall survival, according to a study by Jones, et al, which was published in the July 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Other studies have reported on the benefits of adding short-term hormone therapy to radiation therapy, but this is the largest randomized trial to date and studied 1,979 men at low and intermediate risk of prostate cancer progression for a period of more than more than nine years from October 1994 to April 2001 at 212 U.S. and Canadian centers. July 19, 2011.

Final Judgment about Java and Prostate Cancer Risk?

Back in 2009, we reported on a prospective investigation that suggested that there may be a relationship between regular coffee consumption and the risk of advanced prostate cancer. Now researchers who conducted a meta analysis of 12 epidemiological studies suggest that there is no evidence to support a harmful effect of coffee consumption on prostate cancer risk. July 19, 2011.

Survey: Life after Prostate Cancer Surgery

Reuters Health is reporting that of 152 men surveyed who had radical prostatectomy, almost half said that their life after surgery is worse than they expected, and that they had less sexual function and greater incontinence problems than they anticipated. The results of the survey have been published in an in-press article by Tracey L. Krupski in the Journal of Urology. Despite presurgery counseling, men surveyed may have had unrealistic expectations of regaining full sexual function in the first year after surgery. When questioned, about half of the men believed that they would have the same sexual function as before surgery, and seventeen percent of men believed that their sexual function would improve after prostate cancer surgery. It should be noted that the follow-up time of this survey was only one year after the men's surgeries. As we have previously reported, sexual recovery following radical prostatectomy may take longer than one year. July 5, 2011.

Lupron Now Available In Six-Month Injection

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abbott’s new 45 mg for six-month administration formulation of Lupron Depot (leuprolide acetate for depot suspension). Lupron is a medication that works by suppressing the production of the hormone testosterone. It is used as a palliative treatment for men who have advanced prostate cancer. Prior to this, men could get injections every month, every three months, or every four months. June 23, 2011.

AUA Supports Prostate Cancer Legislation

The American Urological Association (AUA) has announced its support for the Prostate Research, Outreach, Screening, Testing, Access and Treatment Effectiveness (PROSTATE) Act of 2011 (H.R. 2159), which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The goal of the PROSTATE Act is to foster a more integrated and coordinated focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. June 16, 2011.

Study: Six Months of Hormone Therapy Plus Radiation Doubled Survival Rate

Men who had locally advanced prostate cancer and received 6 months of hormone therapy along with radiation treatment halved their risk of dying from prostate cancer compared to men who received radiation therapy alone, according to results of a 10-year clinical trial (Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group or TROG), which was published March 25 in the online edition of The Lancet Oncology. The TROG 96.01 trial assessed the effects of 3-month and 6-month short-term hormone therapy (neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy) in 818 men with locally advanced prostate cancer. March 27, 2011.

Modest Decline in PSA Screenings Reported

The number of PSA screenings conducted by the U.S. Veterans Health Administration Pacific Northwest Network has slightly declined, according to a Medical News Today report. The decline was 3 percentage points among men aged 40-54; 2.7 percentage points among men aged 55-74; and 2.2 percentage points among men aged 75 years and older. This modest decline has been attributed to new guidelines for screening, which followed the publication of two large clinical trials in 2009. March 3, 2011.

And a Man’s ED Drug of Choice is…

After analyzing muliptle preference studies, Morales et al have determined that men prefer tadalafil (brand name Cialis) over vardenafil (Levitra) and sildenafil (Viagra), according to their article in the December online edition of International Journal of Impotence Research. A PubMed search was conducted for manuscripts published within the last 10 years containing the search items ED, preference, sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil. Selected articles were from peer reviewed publications on patients’ preference and ED published in medical literature since 2000. According to the authors, 52 to 65% of men prefer tadalafil compared with 12 to 20% of men who prefer vardenafil and 8 to 30% of men who prefer sildenafil. The authors state that preference for tadalafil was mainly due to “the longer duration of action that increases patients’ freedom in sexual life.” This isn’t exact science, of course. But we can tell you from personal experience that if you are not happy with the results of one ED medication, ask your doctor to try another. February 17, 2011.

Study: No Link Between Prostate Cancer and Vitamin D

Having a higher or lower level of vitamin D does not make men more or less likely to develop prostate cancer, according to new research published in Cancer Causes and Control, as reported by Medical News Today. Other studies have suggested that Vitamin D can play a role in helping prostate cancer. The findings of this new research, however, support a review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which also found there is no evidence that lower levels of vitamin D increase the risk of prostate cancer. More studies are needed to better determine the role Vitamin D plays (or does not play) in prostate cancer. February 15, 2011.

Stress Less Before Prostate Cancer Surgery

According to Medical News Today, a new study by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests that if a man practices stress management techniques before his prostate cancer surgery, it may help activate his body’s immune response and result in a quicker recovery while aiding his emotional state of mind. These same researchers reported earlier that men who received this training had significantly less mood disturbance and improved quality of life one year after surgery. Stress management was defined as meeting with a psychologist one to two weeks prior to surgery to discuss concerns and learn cognitive techniques. Men also learned deep breathing, guided imagery exercises, mental imagery to prepare for surgery and hospitalization, received a stress management guide, audiotapes of techniques to practice on their own, and had brief booster sessions with the psychologist the morning of their surgery and 48 hours post surgery. The full study will be published in the February/March edition of Psychosomatic Medicine. February 3, 2011.

Men with Prostate Cancer Walk Away Risk of Dying

In a study of 2,705 men who survived nonmetastatic prostate cancer, those men who walked at a normal to brisk pace for at least 90 minutes a week had a 46% lower risk of dying from prostate cancer than men who walked at a more leisurely pace for shorter periods of time, according to a report from Medpage Today. Men who added 3 or more hours of vigorous exercise a week lowered their risk even further. Men were asked to complete a questionnaire that described their type, frequency, and duration of physical activity (which suggests limitations to this study). All of the men who participated in the study had a diagnosis of nonmetastatic prostate cancer and they were followed from 1990 to 2008. The study has been published in the online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. January 13, 2011.

Age Should Not Be a Barrier to Treatment

Results of a University of California, San Francisco study suggest that older men (above age 75) with high-risk prostate cancer may experience earlier death because they are offered fewer and less-effective treatment choices than younger men. Instead of surgery and radiation therapies, these men are often given hormone therapy or are advised to do watchful waiting. The study authors state that old age should not be a barrier to treatments that could potentially cure men’s prostate cancer. The study, which was published in the December 6 online issue of the Journal of Oncology, was based on a database of more than 13,805 men with prostate cancer in the United States. January 4, 2011.

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