According to a press release issued by Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, "researchers found that men in this age group with PSA levels less than 3 nanograms per milliliter are unlikely to die of or experience aggressive prostate cancer during their remaining life, suggesting that the use of PSA testing in many older men may no longer be needed."

This finding is from a study published in the latest issue of Journal of Urology. The data showed that while men with PSA levels higher than three had higher risks of developing and dying of prostate cancer, only one man who had the lower PSA levels developed a high-risk prostate cancer and none of the men in the study died of the disease.

You can read more in this press release, Prostate specific antigen testing may be unnecessary for some older men.

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Image: Newscom

Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, PSA testing, prostate specific antigen, PSA levels

Post from: Blisstree

More debate on if PSA testing needed in older men

BUT – men in their 50s who have even infrequent sexual activity actually decrease their risk of developing prostate cancer.

According to the study, which looked at 800 men:

• frequent sex in 20s and 30s: not good
• frequent sex in 40s: no health impact re prostate
• sex in 50s: good
• The important point also was not intercourse, but the frequency of masturbation.

I would be very interested in reading the study in whole, but this is the information provided by the publisher’s press release:

• 59% of the men in both groups said that they had engaged in sexual activity (intercourse or masturbation) 12 times a month or more in their twenties. This fell steadily as they got older, to 48% in their thirties, 28% in their forties and 13% in their fifties.
• 39% of the cancer group had had six female partners or more, compared with 31% of the control group.
• Men with prostate cancer were more likely to have had a sexually transmitted disease than those without prostate cancer.
• More men with prostate cancer fell into the highest frequency groups in each decade when it came to sexual activity (intercourse and masturbation) than men in the control group. 40% of men in the cancer group fell into the highest frequency category in their twenties (20 or more times a month) compared to 32% in the control group. Similar patterns were observed in the men’s thirties and forties. By the fifties it had evened out, with 31% in each group falling into the most frequent category (ten or more times a month).
• Men with prostate cancer were also more likely to masturbate frequently than men in the control group, with the greatest difference in the twenties (34% versus 24%) and thirties (41% versus 31%). The differences were less pronounced in their forties (34% versus 28%) and by the fifties the cancer group was slightly lower (25% versus 26%).

There does seem to be a connection, and it would make sense, between sexual activity and prostate cancer, just as there seems to be a connection between breastfeeding and breast cancer. But I’m just a bit astounded that someone thought to look into the masturbation aspect.

The authors have a theory of why sex in the 50s is protective against prostate cancer:

"A possible explanation for the protective effect that men in their fifties appear to receive from overall sexual activity, and particularly masturbation, is that the release of accumulated toxins during sexual activity reduces the risk of developing cancer in the prostate area. This theory has, however, not been firmly established and further research is necessary."

What do you think? And, if you like this post or want to spread the word, please click in the "Share this" link below to help let others know about it.

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Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, frequent sex and masturbation, frequent sex, masturbation and prostate cancer

Post from: Blisstree

What? Frequent sex and masturbation in 20s and 30s ups risk of prostate cancer?

• Former Secretary of State Colin Powell
• Singer Harry Belafonte
• Golfer Arnold Palmer
• Former South African President Nelson Mandela
• Musician Frank Zappa

Answer…

They all had prostate cancer.

Breast cancer is talked about all the time among the rich and famous, so it seems, but prostate cancer – not so much. Luckily, there are famous men who are speaking out about their diagnosis and battles with the disease. The more who talk, hopefully the more men will get the message about prostate cancer screening.

Colin Powell had localized prostate cancer for which he had surgery in 2003. He was 66 at the time of diagnosis and all seems well up to now.

In 1997, Harry Belafonte was the subject of this very interesting article on his battle with prostate cancer and the subsequent incontinence and impotence. He said that these things needed to be discussed for men to realize that they’re not alone.

Arnold Palmer, a golfer that was popular wherever he went, is another man who was shocked by a diagnosis of prostate cancer. His story The Legend Continues…. is a good run down on how he coped.

Nelson Mandela is one man who has experienced more than his share of pain – both physical and emotional. In 2001 he, too, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was 83 at the time and this miraculous and inspiring man underwent 7 weeks of radiotherapy and continues to live his life, a symbol of freedom that couldn’t be denied.

Frank Zappa was one of the unlucky ones. He was diagnosed with advanced, inoperable prostate cancer in 1990 – it had been present for 10 years, reports say. He died in 1993. Other famous men who died of prostate cancer include actors Telly Savalas (most known for his portrayal of detective Kojak), Bill Bixby (from The Courtship of Eddy’s Father and the Incredibly Hulk TV series, among others), and Linus Pauling, PhD, a 2-time Nobel Prize winner.

Get checked. Be screened. A little bit of discomfort with a digital rectal exam and a blood test can and does save lives.

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Tags: cancer blog, bill bixby, frank zappa, harry belafonte, nelson mandela, former secretary of state colin powell, digital rectal exam, died of prostate cancer, diagnosed with prostate cancer

Post from: Blisstree

What do these men have in common?

Press Release

FDA Approves Drug for Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the injectable drug degarelix, the first new drug in several years for prostate cancer.

Degarelix is intended to treat patients with advanced prostate cancer. It belongs to a class of agents called gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor inhibitors. These agents slow the growth and progression of prostate cancer by suppressing testosterone, which plays an important role in the continued growth of prostate cancer.

Hormonal treatments for prostate cancer may cause an initial surge in testosterone production before lowering testosterone levels. This initial stimulation of the hormone receptors may temporarily prompt tumor growth rather than inhibiting it. Degarelix doesn’t do this.

“Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States and there is an ongoing need for additional treatment options for these patients,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA.

Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States. In 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are currently available, nearly 190,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 29,000 men died from the cancer.

Several treatment options exist for different stages of prostate cancer including observation, prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate gland), radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy with agents that affect GnRH receptors.

The efficacy of degarelix was established in a clinical trial in which patients with prostate cancer received either degarelix or leuprolide, a drug currently used for hormone therapy in treating advanced prostate cancer. Degarelix treatment did not cause the temporary increase in testosterone that is seen with some other drugs that affect GnRH receptors.

In fact, nearly all of the patients on either drug had suppression of testosterone to levels seen with surgical removal of the testes.

The most frequently reported adverse reactions in the clinical study included injection site reactions (pain, redness, and swelling), hot flashes, increased weight, fatigue, and increases in some liver enzymes.

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Image: Newscom

Tags: cancer blog, degarelix, leuprolide, FDA approves prostate cancer drug, prostate cancer, advanced prostate cancer

Post from: Blisstree

FDA Approves Degarelix for Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer

Researchers used information gleaned from almost 20,000 telephone interviews with men who participated in a project called the California Interview Survey. While the findings didn’t find a difference between PSA testing (prostate specific antigen) between the orientation of men in general, when the groups were broken down according to race, African-American men showed a big difference between heterosexuals and those who were either gay or bisexual.

African-Americans who were not heterosexual had a 12 to 40% lower rate of going for PSA testing than heterosexual African-American men. This number was even higher when compared to non-heterosexual whites, where African-American men who weren’t heterosexual had a 15 to 28 percent lower rate than their white counterparts.

It’s likely that this finding explains why African-American men, as a group, are diagnosed with prostate cancer later than their peers of other races and they also have a higher death rate from the disease.

You can read  more about the study in this press release, Gay and bisexual African-American men have the lowest use of prostate testing.

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Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, gay African-Americans, bisexual African American men,  PSA, prostate specific antigen

Post from: Blisstree

Sexual orientation plays role in prostate cancer prevention

According to the research, published in the December issue of BJU Journal, "Just under five per cent of the men who took part in the prostate cancer element of the USA’s largest ever cancer screening trial were diagnosed with the disease and the majority of those were picked up by screening programmes." From the larger group, 38,349 men were randomly selected at random undergo a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, as well as a digital rectal examination (DRE).

According to a press release, USA’s largest ever prostate cancer screening program shows high compliance and consistent results,

"The aim of the study is to determine the impact of annual PSA and DRE screening on prostate cancer mortality by comparing the men who were screened with men undergoing standard medical care without screening" explains Professor Gerald Andriole, Chief of the Division of Urology at Washington University School of Medicine, USA.

"This paper reports the findings from the first three of the five annual follow-up screening rounds. It looks at whether the men continued to take part in the screening programme and examines the characteristics of the cancers that were discovered."

Key test findings included:

* The majority of the men included in the study complied with the PSA and DRE tests – 89% complied with both tests at baseline and this figure was 85% by year three.

* Approximately one in seven men received either a positive PSA or DRE test at the baseline, one, two and three year screenings (14%, 13.5%, 14.4% and 15.1% respectively).

* An average of 8% of the men had a PSA positive result of more than 4ng/mL over the four tests (7.9%, 7.7%, 8.2% and 8.8% respectively).

* Just over 7% of the men had a positive DRE result when the four tests were averaged out (7.2%, 6.8%, 7.3% and 7.6% respectively).

* Both tests were positive in just over 1% of cases (1.2%, 1%, 1.1% and 1.2% respectively).

Key cancer findings included:

* 1,902 men (4.9%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer and just over 84% of these (1,603) were picked up as a result of PSA or DRE screening.

* Just over a third of the cancers were picked up at baseline (34.2%). Cancers picked up at this stage tended to be more serious than cancers picked up later in the screening programme. For example, 5.8% of the cancers at baseline were stages three or four, compared with 1.5% in year three.

* Cancers picked up at baseline were also more likely to have a higher Gleason score, meaning that the cancer was more aggressive and more likely to be fatal. 34% had a Gleason score of seven to ten at baseline, compared with an average of 25.6% in years one to three.

* 84% of the men who were diagnosed as a result of PSA screening had a PSA of more than 4ng/mL.

* But not all the cancer patients had an elevated PSA. DRE picked up a further 16% of cancer cases in patients who had a PSA of less than 4ng/mL.

* The screening programme picked up 16 cancers per thousand men screened at baseline, 11.5 in year one, 10.8 in year two and 11.1 in year three.

To read more about the study, go to the linked press release above.

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Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, prostate cancer screening, PSA, prostate specific antigen, DRE, digital rectal exam

Post from: Blisstree

Prostate cancer screening program results in high compliance, consistent results

Another important finding was that the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) dropped much more than men who took another drug, leuprolide.

When men are initially treated for prostate cancer with androgen deprivation hormone therapy, the body’s reaction is to initially produce more testosterone. But, that’s the exact opposite of what the doctors want. This surge can make symptoms worse, including spinal cord compression and bone pain, and it can stimulate the prostate cancer cells, causing quicker growth.

You can read more about the study in this press release, Prostate cancer drug reduces testosterone levels in as little as 3 days.

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Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, degaralix, gonadotrophin-release hormone, GnRH, leuprolide, PSA, prostate specific antigen, testosterone levels

Post from: Blisstree

Degarelix drops testosterone levels in prostate cancer

Even with all the awareness, there are still a lot of men who don’t know about prostate health.

I found this press release about an upcoming live online webinar on prostate health:

Coeur d’Alene, ID (PRWEB) November 28, 2008 — In the first in a series of seminars on prostate health, Aspen Benefits Group will be hosting a free webinar on December 2.

Dr. Randall Wilkinson, CEO of Aspen Benefits Group, will be interviewing Dr. Ronald Wheeler, Director of The Prostatitis and Prostate Cancer Center in Sarasota, Florida. The one-hour webinar is aimed at engaging in a discussion about the wide range of issues relating to the prostate.

Wilkinson was diagnosed with prostate cancer on December 18, nearly a year ago, and has since undergone treatment to remove the cancer. "The process of making decisions about what to do – and what not to do – about prostate cancer can be a frustrating and confusing experience," says Dr. Wilkinson. "Each man has to make his own decision, but it can be helpful to look over the shoulder of someone who’s been there to see how he approached it…and how it turned out."

Men should consider listening in or participating in this webinar if your PSA is greater than 4.0 ng/ml, if you are contemplating a biopsy, want to avoid a biopsy, have had a prostate biopsy or if you have already been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The Webinar is also relevant for men wanting to know more about PSA levels and at what point they should become concerned.

Subsequent seminars will delve more deeply into specific topics, helping the participant sort through the decisions they may need to make related to the prostate cancer.

For more information, or sign up for this free online webinar, visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/674865025

When: Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM EST

More Info: www.prostateiq.com

You can also call 1-877-432-7889

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Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, enlarged prostate, PSA, prostate health, prostate

Post from: Blisstree

Mark your calendar: Free Online Webinar About Prostate Health

Doctors and researchers are working on reducing those two complications and are doing their best to minimize any nerve damage that can cause these problems, but they haven’t gotten to the finish line yet. But, in the meantime, there’s a new gadget that may help.

The gadget cools down the prostate gland, freezing it, as it’s being removed. Apparently, this can reduce the inflammation and tissue damage that can occur during the surgery. It sounds promising and the premise makes sense to me.

Anyway, if you want to read about it, head on over the Medgadget and have a look: New Cooling Device May Reduce Prostatectomy Complications.

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Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, prostatectomy, prostatectomy complications

Post from: Blisstree

New device may help reduce prostatectomy complications

Movember was started 2003 and according to its website, their events create "awareness around men’s health issues and raises funds for carefully selected beneficiary partners (that are also charitable organizations) in each country, with a focus on prostate cancer."

The email I received said:

Movember, a moustache growing charity event held every year during November that raises funds and awareness for men’s health. In Canada, Movember is being utilized to get people talking about prostate cancer, a very serious health issue for men.

We don’t expect you to grow a moustache for the cause, but you can spread the word to your fathers, brothers, husbands and friends.

So, why not spread the word? If you like Facebook, they even have a Facebook page for you to join: Canada Movember Group.

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Tags: cancer blog, prostate cancer, men’s health, mustaches, movember

Post from: Blisstree

Have you heard of Movember?