Urine test for prostate cancer

Urine test for prostate cancer: "

British scientists have developed “the first reliable test of whether men are at high risk of prostate cancer”, reported the Daily Mail. It said the test has so far proven to be twice as precise as the existing PSA test, and is of urine rather than blood, making it cheaper to perform.

Much more research will be needed to determine whether these findings can be used as the basis for improved detection of prostate cancer risk, prostate cancer diagnosis or disease monitoring.

Protein urine test may signal prostate cancer

Protein urine test may signal prostate cancer: "LONDON (Reuters) - A protein in urine could be a strong indicator of prostate cancer risk, according to British scientists who say their findings could one day be developed into a quick and simple test for the disease.

(It could be around five years before the results of this study are translated into a test for doctors to use in clinics)

"

Earlier Hospice Care Urged for Terminal Prostate Cancer (HealthDay)

Earlier Hospice Care Urged for Terminal Prostate Cancer
(HealthDay): "HealthDay - TUESDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Most American men who are
dying of prostate cancer are slow to take advantage of the end-of-life
services available through hospice care, new research suggests."

Common Prostate Cancer Treatment Linked to Bone Decay (HealthDay)

Common Prostate Cancer Treatment Linked to Bone Decay
(HealthDay): "HealthDay - FRIDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A common prostate cancer treatment
called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with bone decay,
according to a new study."

J&J drug offers hope in advanced prostate cancer

J&J drug offers hope in advanced prostate cancer: "MILAN (Reuters) - Men with advanced prostate cancer lived nearly four months longer on a new pill from Johnson & Johnson, according to keenly awaited study data that researchers said would change clinical practice.

"

Gene Variations Appear Linked to Prostate Cancer, Study Finds (HealthDay)

Gene Variations Appear Linked to Prostate Cancer, Study
Finds
(HealthDay): "HealthDay - THURSDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Variations in a gene for an
enzyme involved in cell energy metabolism may increase the risk of
prostate cancer, say scientists."

Fish-filled diet may cut prostate cancer mortality

Fish-filled diet may cut prostate cancer mortality: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Eating lots of fish may not protect men from developing prostate cancer, but it could reduce their risk of dying from the disease, a new review of the medical literature suggests.

"

Prostate drug finasteride helps urinary problems

Prostate drug finasteride helps urinary problems: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Long-term use of the drug Proscar cuts the need for surgery in men with enlarged prostates, according to a new analysis that pooled the best available research on the medication.

"

Early prostate test study gives hope for accuracy

Early prostate test study gives hope for accuracy: "LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists say they have developed a lab test that can accurately distinguish prostate cancer from healthy tissue and other prostate conditions -- a finding that may in future help men avoid unnecessary treatment.

"

Surgery a Help for Aggressive Prostate Cancer: Study (HealthDay)

Surgery a Help for Aggressive Prostate Cancer: Study
(HealthDay): "HealthDay - MONDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Patients battling the most
aggressive form of prostate cancer are good candidates for prostate
surgery, and it could extend their lives, new research indicates."

Sex problems vex men long after prostate surgery

Sex problems vex men long after prostate surgery: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sexual problems appear to be more distressful to men after prostate-removal surgery than urinary problems do, a new long-term follow-up study shows.

"

No evidence for routine prostate screening: study

No evidence for routine prostate screening: study: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Routine prostate cancer screening does not appear to help men live longer, according to a new study that pooled the best available data on the controversial topic.

"

Prostate Cancer Screening No Benefit to Older Men With Low PSA Levels (HealthDay)

Prostate Cancer Screening No Benefit to Older Men With Low PSA
Levels
(HealthDay): "HealthDay - MONDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Although many men are
concerned about prostate cancer, a new study finds that in men aged 55 to
74 with low levels of baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA), further
screening and early detection of prostate cancer offer virtually no
benefit."

Fast-Freeze May Help Sperm Survive Storage, Study Finds (HealthDay)

Fast-Freeze May Help Sperm Survive Storage, Study Finds
(HealthDay): "HealthDay - TUESDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they have
developed a new and better method of freezing human sperm for later use in
pregnancy attempts."

European Association of Urology - Best video 2008 award

European Association of Urology - Best video 2008 award: "
I spent the weekend in Stockholm, Sweden, where the twenty fourth congress of the European Association of Urology was taking place. I had the honour to receive the award to the best video published in European Urology Video Journay in the year 2008.

The video included the recommendations of the IGLU (International Greenlight Laser Users) group on how to perform a Greenlight HPS laser prostatectomy. An important recognition of our work and our efforts to help in the training of new surgeons adopting the greenlight laser for the minimally invasive treatment of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia).

The video was projected in the main hall of the congress.

"

Foreskins : "put 'em on the block, chop 'em off, said the butcher, merry merry men are we..."

Foreskins : "put 'em on the block, chop 'em off, said the butcher, merry merry men are we...": "

The middle-class, worried well of America have always had a phobia about foreskins. “Chop it off” as early as possible was the usual approach and it is still unusual to see an adult American male who has not been circumcised. There was also (? still is) a widely held belief in the USA that boys who were circumcised were less likely to masturbate. This sort of silly propaganda, coupled with subtle, sotto voce suggestions that American women preferred circumcised men, had the predictable effect. Parents insisted on circumcision and doctors, or many doctors, did not refuse. Would they have refused if there were no fee involved? After much effort from some of the medical profession, common sense was beginning to have an effect and more new born babies were escaping the knife.

At the same time as the worried-well, middle class Americans were continuing to inflict surgery on their new born boys, a campaign was started by adult males who had been circumcised at birth and resented it:

The inalienable body ownership rights of infants and children continue to be addressed within the U.S. legal system in lawsuits asserting that the only person who can legally consent to a circumcision is a person making this personal decision for himself. The reports of dissatisfaction with parental circumcision decisions by circumcised men help to illustrate this point. Performed on their penises without their consent, thousands are now undergoing foreskin restoration, either medical or surgical, to reconstruct what they consider was violently taken from their bodies early in their lives. The Declaration of the First International Symposium on Circumcision acknowledges the unrecognized victims of circumcision and, in support of genital ownership rights of infants and children, states:

'We recognize the inherent right of every human being to an intact body. Without religious or racial prejudice, we affirm this basic human right.''

Due to the lifelong consequences of the permanent surgical alteration of children's genitals, it becomes imperative that children have the right to own their own reproductive organs and to preserve their natural sexual function.

Human sexuality

Despite the protests, middle America still does not like foreskins and so some new research in the New England Journal of Medicine has been warmly welcomed:

Male circumcision significantly reduced the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among men in three clinical trials. We assessed the efficacy of male circumcision for the prevention of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and syphilis in HIV-negative adolescent boys and men.

NEJM March 2009

There are further articles to be found in the NEJM.

Prevention of Viral Sexually Transmitted Infections -- Foreskin at the Forefront. NEJM 360: 1349-1351.

An engaging pun. Foreskin at the Forefront. Ho, Ho. This article was written by Drs Golden and Wasserheit. Hmmm. Golden and Wasserheit. Might one or both of them be Jewish, I wonder?

Then in Infectious Diseases there is an article entitled

Male Circumcision and STI Prevention: More Good News (sic)

We can see immediately where this article is coming from. Why is it “good news”? Must have been written by a women. If routine cicumcsion were to be re-introduced, most males would call this bad news. This article concludes

Studies conducted in Africa have shown that male circumcision decreases the rates of several STIs in men and in their female partners. Such benefits should guide public health policy for neonatal, adolescent, and adult male circumcision programs in areas such as Uganda, where prevalence of HIV infection is high. Whether circumcision confers similar benefits in other settings is unclear.

Source

Quite. A study conducted in Uganda has little relevance to Middlesex and Massachusetts. There is a more important point.The main cause of sexually transmitted diseases is casual or careless sex. Even if it were proven beyond doubt that foreskins might facilitate the transmission of bacteria and viruses (and you could make an argument that a foreskin might protect against the transmission of bacteria) that in itself is not a reason for chopping them off. Exactly the same argument could be applied to the labia majora, minora and the whole vulva. Which of those should we remove?

Dr Colm O'Mahony, a sexual health expert from the Countess of Chester Foundation Trust Hospital in Chester, said the US had an 'obsession' with circumcision being the answer to controlling sexually transmitted infections.

He said: 'Sure, a dry skinned penis is a bit less likely to contract HIV, herpes and possibly genital warts but it will get infected eventually.'

Dr O'Mahony also said pushing circumcision as a solution sent the wrong message.

'It suggests that it is women who infect innocent men - let's protect the innocent men. And it allows men who don't want to change their irresponsible behaviour to continue to sleep around and not even use a condom.'

BBC

Why inflict this procedure on babies who do feel pain and who cannot consent? The logic would be to leave the decision about circumcision until the child had reached the age of 16 and could then make up his own mind. Always remember that this odd, obsessive belief that foreskins are intrinsically dirty comes from a nation who are so prudish that they have to call a lavatory a “rest room”. Mind you, Mrs Crippen’s mother still likes to “pop round the corner” and she is not American.

"

Australia (I): Greenlight Laser Prostatectomy Workshop

Australia (I): Greenlight Laser Prostatectomy Workshop: "This has been my longest trip to date....The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand invited me to participate in a workshop on Greenlight laser prostatectomy. The surgeons involved were Dr. Henry Woo, from Sydney Adventist Hospital and me.

When I arrived at the hotel, after a 30 hour trip, I was lucky to have a room with a privileged view over the famous Sydney harbour...

I took it easy and reseted in the hotel, and later that day we went out for dinner, and then the course started at the Sydney Adventist Hospital.


The programme was very dinamic and included short 15 minute talks and live transmission of surgical procedures. We had attendees from Australia, but also from Corea, China and Taiwan..

El Dr. woo, explicando el instrumental quirúrgico al público asistente en la sala...

My task was to operate a patient with a small, straight forward prostate, and give two short talks, and the second day I operated a patient with a big prostate and delivered two more speeches.... the course was a success and the attendees were very happy. We all learned a lot during these two days of hard work.

Dr. Woo observes one of my operations...

The attendees had a chance to try the Greenlight HPS laser in an experimental model

"

Australia (II): Opinion Leader Meeting

Australia (II): Opinion Leader Meeting: "The 24th we did not operate, but we spent the whole day meeting with two opinion leaders from Hong-Kong and Taiwan, to assist them to launch an initiative similar to the IGLU (International Greenlight Users) in this part of the word. Dr. Henry Woo and me are part of this IGLU group, and we were discussing how to export this idea to Australasia...


As always, we learnt a great deal with these sessions where we reviewed all aspects related with prostatic laser surgery.

We ended up the day celebrating in a wonderful restaurant in Sydney...

"

Australia (III): Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Australia (III): Royal Prince Alfred Hospital: "I was honoured today to visit the Urology Department at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, where I met Drs. Boulas, Wong, Eisinger, Visilaris and Sved.


They had recently bought a new Greenlight HPS laser and wanted to obtain the best possible results with it. We did four operations throughout the day, and all cases were successful... all of them had a good chance to sit down to operate under my supervision and they did a jolly good job!!!. I told them all my tips and tricks and strategies to avoid getting in trouble and obtain the best possible results...


Then they invited us to go to a wonderful chinese restaurant in the Fish Market in Sydney, where Dr. Wong chose a fantastic menu for all of us... I tried the raw lobster for the first time... a noteworthy experience... We had a great time and I was really pleased to be surrounded by these great urologists and amazing human beings...

"

Australia (IV)

Australia (IV): "Today we went to visit St. Vincents Hospital in Sydney, where I met Dr. Striker and Dr. Brenner. They had programmed two cases for today, one of the patients had a very big prostate and high surgical risk and the other patient had a smaller prostate...


Both operations were uneventful and again the experience was very interesting....


There are many centers worldwide starting to use this technology, and there is a great interest in learning all surgical tips and tricks and advanced strategies...

The following day I had to return to Madrid, and I took the chance to visit some beautiful spots in Sydney. Both the city and the inhabitants touch your heart.... I will be back down under!!!

"