All the test results are in and so is the diagnosis: prostate cancer. What should you do now? It is time to learn as much as you can about your treatment options and then, with the guidance of your physicians, make a decision that best suits your situation. If possible, it is best to consult…
You’ve probably seen lots of studies about the potential role of vitamin D in prostate health and prostate cancer in particular. Although experts are still uncertain about the exact impact of this important nutrient on prostate cancer, a recent study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found reason to believe vitamin D reduces…
Men who want to ward off aggressive prostate cancer should turn to plants, or more precisely, a plant-based diet. That’s what scientists reported at the recent International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research. However, this report is not the only one that has shown that a diet based on plant foods offers benefits for…
The next time you reach for a bottle of ibuprofen or celecoxib (Celebrex), remember the results of this latest study. Finnish researchers have found that use of pain killers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a 31% increased risk of prostate cancer overall and a 63% increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer…
Men who have prostate cancer can significantly improve their survival if they engage in regular moderate to vigorous exercise, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and the University of California, San Francisco. As little as 90 minutes per week…
In men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer or who have undergone treatment for the disease, one of the major concerns is the risk of metastasis (spread of the disease) and which treatment, if any, is needed. A team of researchers have announced a new prostate cancer test that improves the ability of clinicians…
The term “lumpectomy” is a type of surgery usually associated with breast cancer, but that could change. The authors of a study in The Lancet Oncology report that use of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can allow surgeons to perform prostate lumpectomy, in which they remove the tumor only rather than the entire prostate gland in men…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Provenge (sipuleucel-T) on April 29, 2010, for men who have advanced prostate cancer that has not responded to standard hormone therapy. Provenge is unique in that it is the first so-called vaccine for the treatment of prostate cancer. We say “so-called” because Provenge does not prevent prostate cancer,…
What is the cost of Provenge (sipuleucel-T)? Men with late-stage prostate cancer that has spread after hormone therapy or surgery may want to ask about the cost of treatment to help them make medical decisions. Provenge costs $93,000 for the full six-week treatment, which includes three infusions. The reason for the high cost of Provenge…
Approximately one million prostate biopsies are performed each year in the United States, typically to help identify whether a man has prostate cancer. This moderately invasive technique (which involves inserting a needle into the prostate about a dozen times to collect tissue samples) is associated with some health risks. Specifically, prostate biopsy and infection risk…
Throughout history, there were noteworthy treasure hunts that were doomed from the start. Turning base metal into gold, a Fountain of Youth, the Holy Grail—all proved fruitless. Today, however, we have every reason to believe that scientific exploration for a universal prostate cancer (PCa) cure is destined to succeed. But until that day comes, patients…
What if we could spice up our prevention and treatment of prostate cancer? Given our current inability to effectively treat aggressive, hormone-refractory forms of the disease with drugs, radiation, hormone therapy, or surgery, perhaps we need to look more closely at options outside of the box; say, a curcumin and prostate cancer connection. Why curcumin…
Would you try a treatment of brachytherapy for prostate cancer that took only about 30 minutes and was just as effective as surgery? Some men already have at the hands of British surgeons who developed the technique at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. The 30-minute treatment for prostate cancer is an advanced form of brachytherapy, a…
It’s probably no surprise that smoking after prostate cancer is dangerous. If you have prostate cancer and also smoke, you are at increased risk of cancer recurrence as well as death from prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease compared with men with prostate cancer who never smoked. These findings appear in the June 22/29 issue of…
Discoveries in the realm of genetics and prostate cancer have been brisk as of late, and among the latest findings are two inherited genetic variants that can increase a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer by threefold or fourfold. The findings appeared in the online April 9 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Among…
One of the most important things men need to know about the symptoms of prostate cancer is that there often aren’t any, at least not during the early stage. This is perhaps the main reason why men need to be screened for prostate cancer, since it’s entirely possible to have the disease and experience no…
Many men will experience a relapse or progression of a prostate cancer, in which case a physician may recommend Provenge after prostate surgery. According to the National Cancer Institute there will be over 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer in 2013 and nearly 30,000 deaths. Your treatment will depend on both the stage and grade…
Although we often hear about the virtues of green and black teas, there’s much you also should know about white tea and prostate cancer. White tea is the least processed of the tea varieties. In fact, you may not know that black, white, and green tea all come from the same leaf variety. The difference…
A protein called FUS, which human cells produce naturally, inhibits growth of prostate cancer cells, according to the authors of a study recently appearing in Cancer Research. Thus far the research has been limited to the laboratory, where the scientists at Imperial College London found that when they forced prostate cancer cells to produce more FUS, the…
A diagnosis of prostate cancer is not a death sentence. Quite often, the disease progresses slowly. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer will live at least five years past the diagnosis, and 91 percent can expect to live at least 10 years past the diagnosis date. Treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and Provenge may help…
