Prostate Cancer News and Research

Latest Prostate Cancer News and Research

Daily vitamin E supplementation may increase risk of prostate cancer

In a trial that included about 35,000 men, those who were randomized to receive daily supplementation with vitamin E had a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer, according to a study in the October 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Oct 2011

Two-gene DNA urine test for prostate cancer

In the current debate sparked by the recent USPSTF recommendation on PSA screening, it is clear that better biomarkers than PSA are urgently needed. One new biotechnology that may go a long way in detecting only prostate cancer and reducing unnecessary prostate cancer biopsies and possible subsequent overtreatment, is the development of a new urine test for prostate cancer.

12 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: The value of testing for prostate cancer; rewards for transplant donors; Calif.'s medical marijuana problem

For men older than 50, a simple blood test to screen for prostate cancer is as much a part of annual physicals as weigh-ins and stethoscopes. The PSA test is painless, inexpensive and the only way to detect the disease - the most common male cancer - before symptoms turn up.

12 Oct 2011

PSA test for prostate cancer may confuse: Experts debate its continued use

According to new research the PSA test for prostate cancer does more harm than good. This week, the United States Preventive Services Task Force is expected to announce its recommendation against routine testing for blood levels of prostate-specific antigen, the protein that can be a signal of prostate cancer.

11 Oct 2011

MD Anderson initiates orders of Cesium-131 to help control intermediate risk prostate cancer

IsoRay Inc., a medical technology company and innovator in seed brachytherapy and medical radioisotope applications, announced today that MD Anderson Cancer Center has initiated orders of Cesium-131 brachytherapy (internal radiation therapy) seeds as it continues its clinical research study investigating brachytherapy's ability to help control intermediate risk prostate cancer.

11 Oct 2011

PCEC opposes newly released USPSTF recommendations on PSA screening

The Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC) – a national organization committed to men's health and a leader in prostate cancer screening – today announced it strongly opposes the newly released recommendations from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force.

11 Oct 2011

LUGPA encourages men to speak out to preserve prostate cancer screenings

The Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA), representing more than 1,800 urologists, encourages men to speak out to preserve prostate cancer screenings.

11 Oct 2011

USPSTF releases draft recommendation on prostate cancer screening

Yesterday, the United States Preventive Services Task Force released a draft recommendation that states healthy men should no longer receive a P.S.A test for prostate cancer as it often leads to unnecessary testing and procedures and does not save lives.

10 Oct 2011

MicroRNA-101 can block autophagy in cancer cells

All cells in our body have a system that can handle cellular waste and release building blocks for recycling. The underlying mechanism is called autophagy and literally means "self-eating". Many cancer cells have increased the activity of this system and the increased release of building blocks equip the cancer cells with a growth advantage and can render them resistant towards treatment.

10 Oct 2011

Advocates prepare for battle on PSA testing; insurers review options

A day after a government panel said that healthy men should no longer get screened for prostate cancer, some doctors' groups and cancer patients' advocates began a campaign to convince the nation that the advice was misguided. Their hope is to copy the success of women's groups that successfully persuaded much of the country two years ago that it was a mistake for the same panel, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, to recommend against routine mammograms for women in their 40s.

10 Oct 2011

Preventive task force panel will urge men to skip prostate screening, reports say

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is scheduled to issue this recommendation on Tuesday, but advance press reports indicate the expert panel will urge the federal government to change its current position to recommend that men under age 75 forgo this widely used test.

7 Oct 2011

First Edition: October 7, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about what the Institute of Medicine recommends in terms of the criteria and methods the Department of Health and Human Services should follow in developing the health law's essential benefits package.

7 Oct 2011

Report on cancer survivorship statistics

Over the next decade, the population of cancer survivors over 65 years of age will increase by approximately 42 percent.

7 Oct 2011

Ibris to develop a quick and economical analysis of tissue from breast cancer biopsies

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a Rutgers-affiliated company $207,000 to develop a quick and economical analysis of tissue from breast cancer biopsies. The technology is designed to predict how aggressive a common form of breast cancer is likely to be, helping physicians and patients plan effective therapies that minimize side effects.

7 Oct 2011

Many average-risk women receive genetic testing for hereditary breast, ovarian cancers

Too many average-risk women and too few high-risk women receive genetic counseling and testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, research shows. Experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center share advice to help patients and their doctors better evaluate family history and make more sound decisions about who should be tested.

4 Oct 2011

Cancer patients prefer to use Web-based technology for quality of life survey

When cancer patients are given the choice, they are significantly more likely to use Web-based technology to answer questions about their quality of life six months after treatment, compared to a paper survey, according to a unique study presented at a scientific session, October 5, 2011, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

4 Oct 2011

New research uses Tilman model to study metastasis of prostate cells into bone

The invasion of a new species into an established ecosystem can be directly compared to the steps involved in cancer metastasis. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling uses the Tilman model of competition between invasive species to study the metastasis of prostate cells into bone.

3 Oct 2011

Study compares treatment plans for CyberKnife treatment delivery system

Radiosurgery is a non-invasive medical procedure in which focused beams of high-energy X-rays target tumors and other abnormalities in the body. A single large dose of radiation is capable of ablating a lesion that might not be amenable to surgical removal. However, some radiosurgery systems, such as the CyberKnife (CK), can be relatively time-consuming because the treatment planning requires the delivery of up to several hundred cone-shaped beams to adequately cover an irregularly shaped tumor.

3 Oct 2011

Prostate cancer medicine deemed too-expensive by NHS

A drug used in therapy of prostate cancer that extends the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer is too expensive for use on the NHS, according to draft guidance. The drug has been shown to extend the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer by around 10 weeks.

2 Oct 2011

The US Oncology Network affiliate treats advanced prostate cancer patients with PROVENGE

David, a 67-year-old father of three and soon to be first-time grandfather, felt too young to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. "I felt great," he said. "I had no symptoms." David, under the advisement of his oncologist, decided to be treated with PROVENGE (sipuleucel-T), the first in a new therapeutic class known as autologous cellular immunotherapies.

1 Oct 2011