Prostate Cancer Screening Doesn't Cut Death Rates: Study (HealthDay)

Prostate Cancer Screening Doesn't Cut Death Rates: Study
(HealthDay): "HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- A 20-year study from
Sweden suggests that screening for prostate cancer does not substantially
reduce the risk of death from the disease."

New Therapy for Enlarged Prostate May Bypass Unpleasant Side Effects (HealthDay)

New Therapy for Enlarged Prostate May Bypass Unpleasant Side
Effects
(HealthDay): "HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- A minimally invasive
treatment for enlarged prostate that limits blood supply to the prostate
seems to be just as effective as surgery but without the risk of
debilitating side effects, such as impotence and urinary incontinence."

Drugs are used to treat most patients with an enlarged prostate, with only about 10 percent qualifying for surgery to remove the entire gland, said Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

"Because medication is so effective, most of the patients that we treat surgically are in pretty bad shape," she added. And while this study showed some symptomatic improvement, it didn't have enough objective data to show that the new technique would surpass surgery, she said.

Too many old men get prostate cancer tests: study

Too many old men get prostate cancer tests: study: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many men in their 80s get regular blood tests for prostate cancer even though there's no evidence the tests will benefit them, according to a new study.

In older men, finding hidden prostate cancer might not be helpful, because the cancer might not shorten their lifespan. But once it's discovered, a very early-stage cancer usually leads to painful and expensive medical encounters.

So with elderly men, screening "makes no sense," Dr. Peter Albertsen, a prostate cancer researcher at University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington who was not involved with the current study, told Reuters

Doctors may be used to ordering the prostate cancer blood tests in these men without really thinking about it.

"