Prostate Cancer News and Research

Latest Prostate Cancer News and Research

Research roundup: Ameliorating physician shortages; Patients' perceptions of bias

The authors note that there is a consensus "that the current shortage of primary care physicians will worsen over the next ten years as the nation's population grows and ages and as insurance coverage expands as a result of the Affordable Care Act." They examine whether workplace changes will impact that assessment.

19 Jan 2013

$ADT increases risk of fracture incidence after treatment completion in men with prostate cancer$

ADT increases risk of fracture incidence after treatment completion in men with prostate cancer

In what is believed to be the first study to describe the impact on men with a 'high' risk of bone fracture who are receiving long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer, new research from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey shows this population to have a higher fracture incidence following treatment completion.

18 Jan 2013

Report: Cancer death rates decline 20% from its peak in 1991

As of 2009, the overall death rate for cancer in the United States had declined 20 percent from its peak in 1991, translating to the avoidance of approximately 1.2 million deaths from cancer, 152,900 of these in 2009 alone. These figures come from the American Cancer Society's annual Cancer Statistics report, one of the most widely-cited medical publications in the world.

17 Jan 2013

Palliative planning reduces out-of-hours hospital admissions

Being able to access an electronic palliative care summary for patients with cancer can help doctors make decisions during out-of-hours care and reduce the chances of unplanned hospital admissions, show UK study results.

17 Jan 2013

True extent of life-support buy-in revealed

Many surgeons contract informally with patients preoperatively about the use of postoperative life support, report researchers.

17 Jan 2013

Scientists identify new mechanism for schistosomiasis-bladder cancer connection

About 200 million people across 75 of the poorest countries in the world are now infected by the blood parasite Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium). The infection causes severe urogenital disease, but also causes bladder cancer in a number of patients and why this occurs is not clear.

17 Jan 2013

Ethnicity influences family involvement in end-of-life decisions

Research in Singapore reveals that, as cancer patients age, their families play a larger role in their healthcare decision-making, with patients themselves becoming less involved as their condition deteriorates.

16 Jan 2013

Nurses’ positivity can alleviate end-of-life suffering

The psychologic response to terminal illness can be summarized as the realization that life is short, say Spanish researchers.

14 Jan 2013

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center receives $36M NCI grant

The National Cancer Institute has awarded the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center a $36 million grant to fund cutting edge research programs and clinical trials over five years.

10 Jan 2013

High-fiber diets may control progression of prostate cancer

A high-fiber diet may have the clinical potential to control the progression of prostate cancer in patients diagnosed in early stages of the disease.

10 Jan 2013

Surgical methods outperform radiation therapy in prostate cancer

A surgical method for treating localized prostate cancer may be a better option for patients than radiation therapy, show findings from a cost-effectiveness analysis.

9 Jan 2013

Discussing patients’ end-of-life wishes ‘key’ in Huntington’s

Discussing end-of-life issues with patients suffering from Huntington’s disease is a key responsibility for physicians, say Dutch researchers.

9 Jan 2013

Coffee drinking may also increase incontinence risk for men

Men who suffer from urinary incontinence may benefit from reducing their caffeine intake, suggest findings from a US study.

7 Jan 2013

Penis shrinkage caution for prostate cancer patients

Men choosing prostate cancer treatment should be informed about the small risk for penis shrinkage, say US researchers who believe discussing the rare side effect could reduce the chance for patient regret.

7 Jan 2013

New study compares costs and outcomes associated with prostate cancer treatments

The most comprehensive retrospective study ever conducted comparing how the major types of prostate cancer treatments stack up to each other in terms of saving lives and cost effectiveness is reported this week by a team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

7 Jan 2013

Algorithms designed to find patients with recurrent cancer within databases do not work

In order to study the effectiveness or cost effectiveness of treatments for recurrent cancer, you first have to discover the patients in medical databases who have recurrent cancer. Generally studies do this with billing or treatment codes - certain codes should identify who does and does not have recurrent cancer. A recent study published in the journal Medical Care shows that the commonly used data determinants of recurrent cancer may be misidentifying patients and potentially leading researchers astray.

4 Jan 2013

Service integration promotes viable outpatient palliative care

Healthcare reforms that promote integration of care across treatment settings facilitate feasible and cost-effective outpatient palliative care, suggest findings from a sustainable community-based model of care.

3 Jan 2013

Partin Tables to predict prostate cancer spread now updated

Prostate cancer experts at Johns Hopkins have developed an updated version of the Partin Tables, a tool to help men diagnosed with prostate cancer and their doctors to better assess their chance of a surgical cure. The updated tool, based on a study of more than 5,600 men treated at The Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2006 to 2011, is published in the Jan. 3 issue of the British Journal of Urology International.

3 Jan 2013

Perceived reduction in penis size linked to regrets of prostate cancer treatment choice

A small percentage of men in a prostate cancer study complained that their penis seemed shorter following treatment, with some saying that it interfered with intimate relationships and caused them to regret the type of treatment they chose.

3 Jan 2013

Poor awareness, misunderstanding hinder palliative care for heart failure

A lack of awareness among heart failure patients prevents them accessing palliative care services during the late stages of their disease, indicate US study findings.

2 Jan 2013