Medscape Medical News
Sep 29, 2013
AMSTERDAM — To the ongoing debate over whether routine screening for
prostate cancer reduces prostate cancer mortality comes a new analysis
that suggests that it does more harm than good.
The total harms that men experience in terms of impotence,
incontinence, and other side effects from prostate cancer treatment can
severely affect their quality of life, lead author Mathieu Boniol, MD,
said here at the European Cancer Conference 2013 (ECCO-ESMO-ESTRO).
Dr. Boniol and colleagues conducted a systematic review of the
literature for data on results of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
testing, biopsy rates, and mortality/associated side effects from
radical prostatectomy, as well as hospitalization rates associated with
biopsy. They also used data from the European Randomized Study of
Screening for Prostate Cancer, which is the study showing the most
favorable outcomes for PSA screening.
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Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Testosterone Therapy: Scant Evidence of Benefit in CVD Risk
Medscape Medical News
Sep 25, 2013
Although there is some evidence that low endogenous testosterone levels may be linked to cardiovascular risk, a review of the last 43 years of literature finds scant definitive evidence that testosterone supplementation affects that risk.
Johannes B. Ruige, MD, PhD, from the Department of Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium, and colleagues. report their findings in an article published online September 24 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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Sep 25, 2013
Although there is some evidence that low endogenous testosterone levels may be linked to cardiovascular risk, a review of the last 43 years of literature finds scant definitive evidence that testosterone supplementation affects that risk.
Johannes B. Ruige, MD, PhD, from the Department of Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium, and colleagues. report their findings in an article published online September 24 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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Friday, September 20, 2013
Healthy Habits Linked to Longer Telomeres in Prostate Cancer
Medscape Medical News (Oncology)
Neil Osterwell
Sept. 16, 2013
A comprehensive lifestyle intervention might help prostate cancer patients live to be longer in the tooth and in the telomere, suggest results of a very small pilot study reported online in The Lancet Oncology.
Among 35 men with biopsy-proven, low-risk prostate cancer who opted for active surveillance, a comprehensive lifestyle intervention including diet, activity, stress management, and support was associated with lengthening of telomeres over 5 years compared with a loss of telomere length among controls, report Dean Ornish MD, director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, in Sausalito, California, and colleagues.
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Neil Osterwell
Sept. 16, 2013
A comprehensive lifestyle intervention might help prostate cancer patients live to be longer in the tooth and in the telomere, suggest results of a very small pilot study reported online in The Lancet Oncology.
Among 35 men with biopsy-proven, low-risk prostate cancer who opted for active surveillance, a comprehensive lifestyle intervention including diet, activity, stress management, and support was associated with lengthening of telomeres over 5 years compared with a loss of telomere length among controls, report Dean Ornish MD, director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, in Sausalito, California, and colleagues.
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FDA OKs New Device to Treat BPH
Medscape Medical News
Mark Crane
Sept. 13, 2013
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today authorized the marketing of the UroLift system, the first permanent implant to relieve low or blocked urine flow in men aged 50 years and older with an enlarged prostate.
The UroLift system relieves the urine flow by pulling back the prostate tissue that is pressing on the urethra.
"The UroLift provides a less invasive alternative to treating [benign prostatic hyperplasia] than surgery," Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a release. "This device also may offer relief to men who cannot tolerate available drug therapies."
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Mark Crane
Sept. 13, 2013
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today authorized the marketing of the UroLift system, the first permanent implant to relieve low or blocked urine flow in men aged 50 years and older with an enlarged prostate.
The UroLift system relieves the urine flow by pulling back the prostate tissue that is pressing on the urethra.
"The UroLift provides a less invasive alternative to treating [benign prostatic hyperplasia] than surgery," Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a release. "This device also may offer relief to men who cannot tolerate available drug therapies."
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Complications of Robotic Surgery Underreported
Medscape Medical News
Robert Lowes
Sept 05, 2013
More injuries and deaths are linked to da Vinci robotic surgery than meet the eye, according to a new study published online August 27 in the Journal for Healthcare Quality.
As a result, "we're not learning from our performance," study coauthor Martin Makary, MD, MPH, told Medscape Medical News.
Between January 1, 2000, and August 1, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received 245 adverse event (AE) reports related to the controversial da Vinci robotic surgical system, made by Intuitive Surgical. Scouring federal court records and media accounts, Dr. Makary and colleagues found 5 more cases that were never reported. They also discovered that 3 reported cases were problematic. One was submitted 930 days after the surgery, and another 292 days after. The latter case, as well as a third dubious one, was submitted to the FDA only after a media report of the patient's death appeared.
Read the full Medscape report
Robert Lowes
Sept 05, 2013
More injuries and deaths are linked to da Vinci robotic surgery than meet the eye, according to a new study published online August 27 in the Journal for Healthcare Quality.
As a result, "we're not learning from our performance," study coauthor Martin Makary, MD, MPH, told Medscape Medical News.
Between January 1, 2000, and August 1, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received 245 adverse event (AE) reports related to the controversial da Vinci robotic surgical system, made by Intuitive Surgical. Scouring federal court records and media accounts, Dr. Makary and colleagues found 5 more cases that were never reported. They also discovered that 3 reported cases were problematic. One was submitted 930 days after the surgery, and another 292 days after. The latter case, as well as a third dubious one, was submitted to the FDA only after a media report of the patient's death appeared.
Read the full Medscape report
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Night Work May Shift PSA Level Higher
Medscape Oncology -
Men engaged in shift work, including working at night or on a rotating schedule, had an increased likelihood of having an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value, according to new American research.
Specifically, there was a statistically significant association between current shift work and an elevated PSA of 4.0 ng/mL or greater. The study is based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Read the full Medscape Medical News report here
Men engaged in shift work, including working at night or on a rotating schedule, had an increased likelihood of having an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value, according to new American research.
Specifically, there was a statistically significant association between current shift work and an elevated PSA of 4.0 ng/mL or greater. The study is based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Read the full Medscape Medical News report here
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Should Men Take Finasteride to Prevent Prostate Cancer ?
A recent update to an important study analyzes whether the benefits
outweigh the risks to taking finasteride to prevent prostate cancer.
Dr. Gerald Chodak discusses this subject in this new video from ProstateVideos.com.
Dr. Gerald Chodak discusses this subject in this new video from ProstateVideos.com.
New Prostate Screening Guidance 'Unbalanced'?
Medscape - August 16, 2013
Gerald Chodak
At the Prostate Cancer World Congress in Australia, a group of experts came up with some new recommendations regarding prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. This was partly in response to the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations against routine screening. This 6-point recommendation has what Dr. Gerald Chodak thinks are a number of biased statements that potentially lead to misinformation.
Read/Watch Dr. Gerald Chodak's thoughts on this matter in this Medscape report
(Free sign-up may be required)
Gerald Chodak
At the Prostate Cancer World Congress in Australia, a group of experts came up with some new recommendations regarding prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. This was partly in response to the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations against routine screening. This 6-point recommendation has what Dr. Gerald Chodak thinks are a number of biased statements that potentially lead to misinformation.
Read/Watch Dr. Gerald Chodak's thoughts on this matter in this Medscape report
(Free sign-up may be required)
Friday, August 16, 2013
Metformin tied to longer prostate cancer survival
Veronica Hackethal, MD
NEW YORK |
(Reuters Health) - In older men with diabetes and prostate cancer, taking the diabetes drug metformin was linked to a lower risk of death, according to a new study.
Researchers found metformin's apparent benefits accumulated over time. Among men with diabetes in Ontario, Canada, who were over age 66, the study found a 24 percent reduction in prostate-cancer mortality for every six months of metformin use, and a similarly lower risk of death from any cause for the first six months.
"Among diabetic men with prostate cancer metformin should be considered the drug of choice, not only for diabetes control but possibly to improve
prostate cancer outcomes," Dr. David Margel, a urologist at Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel, and lead author of the study, told Reuters Health in an email.
NEW YORK |
(Reuters Health) - In older men with diabetes and prostate cancer, taking the diabetes drug metformin was linked to a lower risk of death, according to a new study.
Researchers found metformin's apparent benefits accumulated over time. Among men with diabetes in Ontario, Canada, who were over age 66, the study found a 24 percent reduction in prostate-cancer mortality for every six months of metformin use, and a similarly lower risk of death from any cause for the first six months.
"Among diabetic men with prostate cancer metformin should be considered the drug of choice, not only for diabetes control but possibly to improve
prostate cancer outcomes," Dr. David Margel, a urologist at Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel, and lead author of the study, told Reuters Health in an email.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Chemoprevention for Prostate Cancer: New Data
Medscape Medical News -
Long-term data confirm the finding that finasteride reduces the risk for prostate cancer by about a third, but they also show no effect on overall survival or on survival after a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
The new data, from an 18-year follow-up of men taking part in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT), are published in the August 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The new data should reopen the debate about using finasteride for the prevention of prostate cancer, says Eric Klein, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, who was not involved in the study.
Long-term data confirm the finding that finasteride reduces the risk for prostate cancer by about a third, but they also show no effect on overall survival or on survival after a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
The new data, from an 18-year follow-up of men taking part in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT), are published in the August 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The new data should reopen the debate about using finasteride for the prevention of prostate cancer, says Eric Klein, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, who was not involved in the study.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Prostate cancer hormonal therapy tied to kidney risks
NEW YORK |
Reuters Health) - Men who are treated for prostate cancer with hormone-targeted therapy have a higher risk of developing kidney problems, a new study suggests.
The treatment, known as androgen deprivation therapy, lowers the risk of death among men with advanced, aggressive prostate cancer.
However, researchers said it's increasingly being used to treat possible recurrences among men with less advanced disease - for whom the benefits are less clear, and the risks more worrisome.
Read the full Reuters Health report
Reuters Health) - Men who are treated for prostate cancer with hormone-targeted therapy have a higher risk of developing kidney problems, a new study suggests.
The treatment, known as androgen deprivation therapy, lowers the risk of death among men with advanced, aggressive prostate cancer.
However, researchers said it's increasingly being used to treat possible recurrences among men with less advanced disease - for whom the benefits are less clear, and the risks more worrisome.
Read the full Reuters Health report
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Evidence of prostate cancer, omega-3 link
AAP - July 11, 2013
US scientists say they have confirmed a surprising 2011 study that found a higher risk of prostate cancer among men who consume omega-3 fatty acids, raising new questions about the safety of supplements.
The research in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported a 71 per cent higher risk for dangerous high-grade prostate cancer among men who ate fatty fish or took fish-oil supplements, which are often touted for their anti-inflammatory properties.
"We've shown once again that use of nutritional supplements may be harmful," said Alan Kristal, researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre and senior author of the paper.
Read the full news. com.au report
US scientists say they have confirmed a surprising 2011 study that found a higher risk of prostate cancer among men who consume omega-3 fatty acids, raising new questions about the safety of supplements.
The research in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported a 71 per cent higher risk for dangerous high-grade prostate cancer among men who ate fatty fish or took fish-oil supplements, which are often touted for their anti-inflammatory properties.
"We've shown once again that use of nutritional supplements may be harmful," said Alan Kristal, researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre and senior author of the paper.
Read the full news. com.au report
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Men With ED: 25% Are Aged 40 Years or Younger
Traditionally considered the bane of aging men, erectile dysfunction
(ED) is surprisingly common in younger men as well, the authors of a new
study report.
Of 439 men visiting a sexual medicine outpatient clinic complaining of new-onset ED, 114 (26%) were 40 years old or younger, lead author Paolo Capogrosso, MD, from the Department of Urology, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, and colleagues write in an article published online May 7 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Moreover, the rate of severe ED was similar in younger and older men, and scores on the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) also were similar between the age groups. "Therefore, the observation as a whole appeared to us as a worrisome picture from the everyday clinical practice," the authors write.
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Of 439 men visiting a sexual medicine outpatient clinic complaining of new-onset ED, 114 (26%) were 40 years old or younger, lead author Paolo Capogrosso, MD, from the Department of Urology, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, and colleagues write in an article published online May 7 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Moreover, the rate of severe ED was similar in younger and older men, and scores on the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) also were similar between the age groups. "Therefore, the observation as a whole appeared to us as a worrisome picture from the everyday clinical practice," the authors write.
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Heart-Healthy Diet May Be Prostate Cancer Healthy Too
UPDATED June 13, 2013
— A diet that reduces carbohydrates and
animal fat intake and boosts vegetable fat consumption could benefit men
with prostate cancer, a new observational study concludes.
This dietary-fat mix mirrors a heart-healthy diet and was associated with better overall and prostate-cancer-related mortality in a large cohort of men, report the authors, led by Erin Richman, ScD, from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
"Overall, our findings support counseling men with prostate cancer to follow a heart-healthy diet in which carbohydrate calories are replaced with unsaturated oils and nuts to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality," write the authors.
Nuts and vegetable oils (such olive and canola oil) were the 2 sources of vegetable fats associated with reduced overall and disease-specific mortality.
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This dietary-fat mix mirrors a heart-healthy diet and was associated with better overall and prostate-cancer-related mortality in a large cohort of men, report the authors, led by Erin Richman, ScD, from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
"Overall, our findings support counseling men with prostate cancer to follow a heart-healthy diet in which carbohydrate calories are replaced with unsaturated oils and nuts to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality," write the authors.
Nuts and vegetable oils (such olive and canola oil) were the 2 sources of vegetable fats associated with reduced overall and disease-specific mortality.
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Pomegranate and other Extracts for Prostate Cancer - Should You Take Them ?
A recent well done studied found that an extract of pomegranate seeds,
broccoli, green tea and Turmeric reduced the number of men with a rising
PSA and more often reduced the PSA at 6 months compared to a placebo.
The video explains the results and what it means for patients with
prostate cancer
Food Supplement Linked to Lower PSA in Prostate Cancer
CHICAGO, Illinois — A commercially available food supplement that
contains pomegranate, broccoli, green tea, and turmeric significantly
lowers prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, compared with placebo, in
patients with prostate cancer, a double-blind placebo-controlled
randomized trial has shown.
The study results, presented here at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO®), made headlines around the world and caused the polyphenol-rich supplement, known as Pomi-T (nature Medical Products), to sell out within hours.
This is a "promising new therapy," said Tomasz Beer, MD, professor of medicine and director of the prostate cancer research program at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, during a "highlights of the day" session.
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This is a "promising new therapy," said Tomasz Beer, MD, professor of medicine and director of the prostate cancer research program at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, during a "highlights of the day" session.
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Vegetable fats tied to less prostate cancer spread
(Reuters Health) - After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, men who eat a diet high in vegetable fats, such as those in nuts and olive oil, may be less likely to have their disease spread, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that replacing some carbohydrates with those healthy fats was also tied to a lower risk of dying from any cause during the study. But the opposite was true for saturated and trans fats often found in meat and processed foods.
Read the full Reuters Health report
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Agent Orange tied to aggressive prostate cancer risk
(Reuters Health) -
Men who were exposed to Agent Orange chemicals used during the Vietnam
War are at higher risk for life-threatening prostate cancer than
unexposed veterans, researchers have found.
What's more, those who served where the herbicide was used were diagnosed with cancer about five years earlier than other men, on average, in the new study.
"This is a very, very strong predictor of lethal cancer," said urologist Dr. Mark Garzotto, who worked on the study at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Oregon.
Read the full Reuters Health report
What's more, those who served where the herbicide was used were diagnosed with cancer about five years earlier than other men, on average, in the new study.
"This is a very, very strong predictor of lethal cancer," said urologist Dr. Mark Garzotto, who worked on the study at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Oregon.
Read the full Reuters Health report
Gene Test for Prostate Cancer Shows Promise
Medscape. May 08, 2013
SAN DIEGO, California — A genetic test can predict the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, a new study shows.
The 17-gene test predicts whether tumors will progress to high-grade or postsurgical stage III disease.
"We think this will allow patients and doctors to make more confident decisions," study coauthor Eric Klein, MD, told Medscape Medical News. "That will be a boon to everyone and it will save the system money."
The results of the study were presented here at the American Urological Association 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting.
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SAN DIEGO, California — A genetic test can predict the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, a new study shows.
The 17-gene test predicts whether tumors will progress to high-grade or postsurgical stage III disease.
"We think this will allow patients and doctors to make more confident decisions," study coauthor Eric Klein, MD, told Medscape Medical News. "That will be a boon to everyone and it will save the system money."
The results of the study were presented here at the American Urological Association 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting.
Read the full Medscape report
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New AUA Guideline for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Medscape. May 09, 2013
The American Urological Association (AUA) has issued a new guideline for the management of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that provides a "rational basis" for treatment decisions.
Those decisions are now "complex" because a group of treatment options for metastatic disease has emerged in a short period of time, according to a press release issued at AUA 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting, held in San Diego, California.
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The American Urological Association (AUA) has issued a new guideline for the management of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that provides a "rational basis" for treatment decisions.
Those decisions are now "complex" because a group of treatment options for metastatic disease has emerged in a short period of time, according to a press release issued at AUA 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting, held in San Diego, California.
Read the full Medscape report
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Testosterone Benefits Hypogonadal Men With Type 2 Diabetes
Medscape. May 08, 2013.
PHOENIX — Testosterone replacement reverses insulin resistance in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes, preliminary data suggest. The findings, from a randomized trial in 81 men, were reported by Paresh Dandona, MD, PhD, head of the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York, at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 2013 Scientific & Clinical Congress last week.
"Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism [HH] in type 2 diabetes is a factor related to insulin resistance and may be contributing to it. Administration of testosterone over a period of 6 months largely reverses that state of insulin resistance," said Dr. Dandona.
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PHOENIX — Testosterone replacement reverses insulin resistance in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes, preliminary data suggest. The findings, from a randomized trial in 81 men, were reported by Paresh Dandona, MD, PhD, head of the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York, at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 2013 Scientific & Clinical Congress last week.
"Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism [HH] in type 2 diabetes is a factor related to insulin resistance and may be contributing to it. Administration of testosterone over a period of 6 months largely reverses that state of insulin resistance," said Dr. Dandona.
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AUA Issues New Guidelines on PSA Screening
Medscape. May 03, 2013
New guidelines on prostate cancer screening, issued today by the American Urological Association (AUA), are supportive of routine use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in healthy men, but only for a specified age group, and only after discussion between a man and his physician.
Specifically, the new guidelines state that men 55 to 69 years of age who are at average risk and asymptomatic can consider PSA screening. They should speak to the their physician about the benefits and harms of testing to determine the best course of action.
Read the full Medscape report
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New guidelines on prostate cancer screening, issued today by the American Urological Association (AUA), are supportive of routine use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in healthy men, but only for a specified age group, and only after discussion between a man and his physician.
Specifically, the new guidelines state that men 55 to 69 years of age who are at average risk and asymptomatic can consider PSA screening. They should speak to the their physician about the benefits and harms of testing to determine the best course of action.
Read the full Medscape report
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Thursday, May 2, 2013
Decreasing Infections from a Prostate Biopsy
In today's video from Dr. Gerald Chodak, he discusses the risks of infection from having a prostate biopsy and what measures can be taken to minimize those risks.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Supplements don't help with prostate cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
Despite dietary supplements being popular among prostate cancer patients, a new review of past research says they are not effective treatments for the disease.
Pulling together data from eight randomized controlled trials - considered the gold standard of medical research, researchers found non-herbal dietary supplements and vitamins didn't significantly change the severity of people's cancers.
"The main message would be that no miraculous supplement for (prostate cancer) exists," wrote Dr. Paul Posadzki, the review's lead author from the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine in Daejeon, in an email to Reuters Health.
Sickle cell disease accounts for many priapism cases
Andrew M. Seaman | Reuters – Thu, Apr 25, 2013
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Thanks to commercials for erectile dysfunction
drugs, men know to seek medical attention for "erections lasting more
than four hours," but a new study suggests a blood disorder is the cause
of many prolonged erections.
While the condition - formally known as priapism - is rare, researchers report in The Journal of Urology that between 14 percent and 30 percent of cases that show up in U.S. emergency rooms are men with sickle-cell disease.
"I would say what
the paper is telling us is that sickle-cell disease is still responsible
for the bulk of the visits for priapism," said Dr. Gregory Broderick, professor of urology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, who was not involved in the study.
Prostate cancer screening for older men 'unlikely'
NHS Choices (Wed April 17, 2013)
There is wide coverage of new research that argues that routine screening could reduce deaths from prostate cancer, with BBC News, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail all reporting the story. This controversial study is likely to reignite the debate about whether routine screening for prostate cancer does more harm than good.
Read the full NHS report
There is wide coverage of new research that argues that routine screening could reduce deaths from prostate cancer, with BBC News, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail all reporting the story. This controversial study is likely to reignite the debate about whether routine screening for prostate cancer does more harm than good.
Read the full NHS report
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Doctors group questions prostate cancer screening
(Reuters Health)
The American College of Physicians (ACP) became the latest group to ask doctors to be clear about the limited benefits and "substantial harms" of prostate cancer screening before offering their male patients a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
The ACP's guidance statement, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, also explicitly recommends against screening men younger than 50, older than 69 or with less than 10 to 15 years to live.
Men in their 50s and 60s may weigh the potential benefits and harms of PSA testing differently, which is why the idea of shared decision-making between patients and their doctors is so critical, said the ACP's Dr. Amir Qaseem.
Read the full Reuters Health report
The American College of Physicians (ACP) became the latest group to ask doctors to be clear about the limited benefits and "substantial harms" of prostate cancer screening before offering their male patients a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
The ACP's guidance statement, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, also explicitly recommends against screening men younger than 50, older than 69 or with less than 10 to 15 years to live.
Men in their 50s and 60s may weigh the potential benefits and harms of PSA testing differently, which is why the idea of shared decision-making between patients and their doctors is so critical, said the ACP's Dr. Amir Qaseem.
Read the full Reuters Health report
Friday, April 5, 2013
Testosterone doesn't boost functioning in older men
(Reuters Health) -
Older men who use testosterone gel may see small improvements in their
muscle-to-fat ratio but are unlikely to glean any benefits in
flexibility, endurance and general ability to get around, new research
suggests.
Read More
Read More
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Urine Biomarker Combo Predicts Prostate Cancer
Medscape News
MILAN, Italy
A combination of 2 urine-based genetic biomarkers predicts prostate cancer better than either biomarker alone and better than the standard serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), according to a new study.
The 2 markers, PCA3 and the TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion "can help stratify men for risk of cancer, significant cancer, and high-grade cancer at biopsy," said Jack Groskopf, PhD, director of oncology research and development at Hologic Gen-Probe in San Diego, California.
The company is currently developing both biomarkers. "We're hoping to show that the urine test results can help predict the probability of a positive biopsy and the probability that the biopsy will find clinically significant cancer that needs to be treated," Dr. Groskopf told Medscape Medical News.
Read More
MILAN, Italy
A combination of 2 urine-based genetic biomarkers predicts prostate cancer better than either biomarker alone and better than the standard serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), according to a new study.
The 2 markers, PCA3 and the TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion "can help stratify men for risk of cancer, significant cancer, and high-grade cancer at biopsy," said Jack Groskopf, PhD, director of oncology research and development at Hologic Gen-Probe in San Diego, California.
The company is currently developing both biomarkers. "We're hoping to show that the urine test results can help predict the probability of a positive biopsy and the probability that the biopsy will find clinically significant cancer that needs to be treated," Dr. Groskopf told Medscape Medical News.
Read More
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Even for sperm, there is a season
(Reuters Health) -
Autumn is the time of year most associated with bumper crops of new babies, and that may be because human sperm are generally at their healthiest in winter and early spring, according to a new study from Israel.
Based on samples from more than 6,000 men treated for infertility, researchers found sperm in greater numbers, with faster swimming speeds and fewer abnormalities in semen made during the winter, with a steady decline in quality from spring onward.
Read the full Reuters Health report
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Irradiation Produces Durable Survival in Prostate Cancer
In prostate cancer, radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy produce
"durable disease control."
In fact, 15-year disease-free survival rates with the 2 treatments are similar, according to a new study published in the March issue of the Journal of Urology.
However, the researchers found that prostate cancer can recur after many years. Therefore, they recommend that patients be followed for at least 15 years after their initial treatment.
Click here for the fully Medscape report
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In fact, 15-year disease-free survival rates with the 2 treatments are similar, according to a new study published in the March issue of the Journal of Urology.
However, the researchers found that prostate cancer can recur after many years. Therefore, they recommend that patients be followed for at least 15 years after their initial treatment.
Click here for the fully Medscape report
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Thursday, February 21, 2013
Uncircumcised boys and men may face more UTIs
Reuters Health -
NEW YORK |
Australian researchers say that they found that circumcision "provides considerable protection and over the lifespan makes about a three- to four-fold difference by our prediction, which is quite striking in public health terms," lead study author Brian Morris, professor of molecular medical science at the Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, told Reuters Health.
Zbys Fedorowicz, director of the Bahrain branch of the UK Cochrane Centre, a non-profit organization that evaluates medical studies, said that the 22-study analysis combined different types of studies and the researchers failed to assess their quality.
"It doesn't mean to say that these guys are necessarily wrong, it's just that we don't know because the methodological approach that they used isn't thorough enough, it's not transparent, it's not reproducible and it's not clear," Fedorowicz said.
Dr. Robert Van Howe, clinical professor of pediatrics at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and vocal critic of circumcision, also found the new study problematic.
Van Howe said that diagnostic criteria for urinary tract infections differ between researchers and that the cost/ benefit analysis of circumcision as a preventive tool for infections doesn't add up.
Read the full Reuters Health report
NEW YORK |
Australian researchers say that they found that circumcision "provides considerable protection and over the lifespan makes about a three- to four-fold difference by our prediction, which is quite striking in public health terms," lead study author Brian Morris, professor of molecular medical science at the Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, told Reuters Health.
Zbys Fedorowicz, director of the Bahrain branch of the UK Cochrane Centre, a non-profit organization that evaluates medical studies, said that the 22-study analysis combined different types of studies and the researchers failed to assess their quality.
"It doesn't mean to say that these guys are necessarily wrong, it's just that we don't know because the methodological approach that they used isn't thorough enough, it's not transparent, it's not reproducible and it's not clear," Fedorowicz said.
Dr. Robert Van Howe, clinical professor of pediatrics at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and vocal critic of circumcision, also found the new study problematic.
Van Howe said that diagnostic criteria for urinary tract infections differ between researchers and that the cost/ benefit analysis of circumcision as a preventive tool for infections doesn't add up.
Read the full Reuters Health report
Stress and anxiety linked to sperm quality
(Reuters Health) - A man's ability to produce sperm may depend on his ability to handle stress, according to a new study from Italy.
Researchers found that men with higher levels of both short- and long-term stress and anxiety ejaculated less semen and had lower sperm concentration and counts. Men with the highest anxiety levels were also more likely to have sperm that were deformed or less mobile.
But one fertility researcher not involved in the new work said it's hard to know how the results apply to the general population because the research included men who were already seeking treatment at a fertility clinic.
Read the full Reuters Health report
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Exercise Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk: Only in White Men?
Exercise might reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a study published online February 11 in Cancer.
The study adds to the literature indicating that exercise is a "modifiable risk factor" for prostate cancer, say lead author Abhay A. Singh, MD, from the Duke Prostate Center in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues.
They explain that "the emerging overall picture suggests a protective relationship" between exercise and prostate cancer.
However, Dr. Singh and colleagues report that the benefit is limited to white men; it does not apply to black men.
Read the full Medscape report here
(May require free sign-up)
The study adds to the literature indicating that exercise is a "modifiable risk factor" for prostate cancer, say lead author Abhay A. Singh, MD, from the Duke Prostate Center in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues.
They explain that "the emerging overall picture suggests a protective relationship" between exercise and prostate cancer.
However, Dr. Singh and colleagues report that the benefit is limited to white men; it does not apply to black men.
Read the full Medscape report here
(May require free sign-up)
Friday, February 8, 2013
Tadalafil May Lessen Ejaculatory and Orgasmic Dysfunctions
Tadalafil appears to have wider benefits on sexual function than just
improving erections. An integrated analysis of 17 double-blind,
randomized, placebo-controlled 12-week trials of the drug as needed in
patients with erectile dysfunction showed significant improvements in
ejaculatory and orgasmic functions. Benefits were seen across all
baseline levels of erectile, ejaculatory, and orgasmic dysfunction
severity.
Read the full Medscape report here
(May require free sign-up)
Read the full Medscape report here
(May require free sign-up)
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