| "Early detection of cancer saves lives."
Consider the case of prostate cancer. Although the prevalence of clinically apparent prostate cancer in men 60 to 70 years of age is only about 1 percent, over 40 percent of men in their 60s with normal rectal examinations have been found to have histologic evidence of the disease. Consequently, because the prostate is studied increasingly by transrectal ultrasonography and MRI, which can detect tumors too small to palpate, the reported prevalence of prostate cancer increases. In addition, the increased detection afforded by imaging can confuse the evaluation of therapeutic effectiveness. As the spectrum of detected prostate cancer becomes broader with the addition of tumors too small to palpate, the reported survival from the time of diagnosis improves regardless of the actual effect of the new tests and treatments.
New Technique Lets Researchers Find Cancer-Promoting Gene Fusions
In 2005, however, Chinnaiyan and his colleagues showed that fusion genes can also spur the development of a solid tumor: prostate cancer. “We identified gene fusions in prostate cancer at a very high prevalence - 70 percent or higher," he says. “That told us that these fusions are likely present in many common solid tumors, but we didn't have a good way to identify them." Chinnaiyan and his colleagues have been working on new ways to identify gene fusions in solid tumors, and their Nature article describes their success in designing a new approach. The strategy is based on combining two different methods to sequence the messenger RNA inside a cell. Messenger RNA is a copy of the information encoded by that cell's active genes. One sequencing technology produces long sequences that point toward locations where DNA segments may have been inappropriately joined.
Cancer survivors appreciate life
�My cancer was discovered during a routine checkup,� said Richard Fouke, a five-year prostate cancer survivor. �It was a big surprise when I was diagnosed.� Fouke said he benefited from the support of members of The Presbyterian Church of Hagerstown, and the staff and volunteers of the local cancer society as he underwent 42 radiation treatments to rout his cancer. �My advice to others is to always take care of your health,� Fouke said. A two-year survivor of breast cancer, Melinda Tolley of Williamsport came to the dinner with her daughter, Lisa King. �I was pretty down at first,� Tolley said. �The cancer society reached out to me � it meant so much to meet other survivors.� Tom Miguel had his prostate cancer surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore last year around Easter.
Experts: We're in Vitamin D Deficiency Crisis
Beta-carotene was supposed to prevent lung cancer. Selenium kept prostate cancer at bay. None of it turned out to be true, and some of the advice even proved harmful. Vitamin D was discovered 87 years ago by team of scientists at Johns Hopkins University who cured mice with rickets by feeding them cod liver oil. Oily fish like sardines remain one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D. It was later found that certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light prompt our bodies to synthesize vitamin D, eventually making a hormone called calcitriol that, among other things, controls how the body uses calcium and mineralizes bone. Once this was understood, vitamin D was produced synthetically and foods, mainly milk, were fortified with it. An eight-ounce glass of milk contains about 100 International Units (IUs) of vitamin D.
Vitamins are not of equal value
Megadoses of beta carotene, for example, increased the risk of lung cancer in people who smoked or worked in the asbestos industry. Vitamin D and calcium can up the risk of kidney stones in some people. A Chinese study reported higher rates of esophageal cancer in long-term users of selenium, beta-carotene, and vitamin E. .
Sexy Briefs
Prostate is second to lung in cancer deaths in American males. But take heart, by the time you reach your 50s, sexual activity can actually work as protection against the disease.
Did you know that Pope John XII who reigned from 956-963 is rumoured to have died during sex. At the time of his death, he was engaged in a rather acrobatic sex act with his mistress, who was married to another man. Apparently his heart couldn�t handle the excitement. Pope John XII�s death constituted a low point in the history of the Catholic Church and spurred papal reforms within Catholicism.
Late last year, The Wishroom, a section of the Japanese virtual shopping mall Rakuten, sold over 300 men�s bras, each priced about $30. The site, which also sells men�s panties and women�s lingerie, boasts that the bra, which can worn �discreetly� under one�s shirt and comes in a variety of colours, was the number one best-selling men�s inner wear product for two weeks, selling out in a short while after the store opened.
CDC Releases New US Cancer Statistics
The highest death rates from cancer related illnesses occur among people with lung cancer, followed by prostate cancer and female breast cancer.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a joint effort with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), have released the seventh official federal report of cancer incidence and mortality statistics for the U.S. from 1999-2005. The report was produced with the assistance of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.Over 1 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2005 in 48 states as well as 6 metropolitan areas and the District of Columbia. This data is inclusive of geographic areas that account for approximately 96 percent of the U.S. population. The report data was compiled from the CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.The report's cancer mortality data was collected and processed by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.
Also in the Feb. 10 JNCI
Prostate cancer is a slowly progressing malignancy in many patients. The long natural history of the disease makes evaluation of new therapies difficult because patients must be followed for many years. If researchers could identify a surrogate clinical endpoint that accurately reflects long-term clinical outcomes for prostate cancer, clinical trials would be easier and faster. To look for possible surrogate endpoints, Michael E. Ray, M.D., Ph.D., of ThedaCare and Bellin Health Systems in Appleton and Green Bay, Wisconsin, and colleagues evaluated the ability of general treatment failure and metastasis-free survival at 3 and 5 years to predict long-term survival in patients who had taken part in a clinical trial. A total of 1,521 patients who participated in the Radiation Therapy and Oncology Group 92-02 randomized controlled trial were included in the current analysis.
European Commisssion Grants Ferring Pharmaceuticals Approval of
(ii) Testosterone plays a major role in the growth and spread of prostate cancer cells. The data show that degarelix provided an extremely fast effect on testosterone levels, close to the immediate effect achieved with surgery (orchidectomy).(ii,iii) "We are delighted with the approval of FIRMAGON(R) (degarelix), which demonstrated in clinical trials both an immediate onset of action and a profound long-term suppression of testosterone and PSA" commented Dr. Pascal Danglas, Executive Vice President Clinical & Product Development at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. "We will work with local authorities to ensure the launch of FIRMAGON to patients across European Union countries as soon as possible." The European Commission approval for FIRMAGON(R) (degarelix) follows approval from the FDA in the US in December 2008.
Dying man slams slow hospital response
Mr Kyngdon promptly organised a biopsy which confirmed Mr Jenkins had cancer of the prostate.
He referred him to a urologist in Hamilton but before this could befinalised, on October 30, Mr Jenkins snapped his upper arm whilelifting some gib board at work. He remembered looking at the X-ray witha doctor at Gisborne Hospital.
"I commented on how you could seeit had broken clean in half and the doctor said it was not the breakthat was the worry - it was this grey mouldy looking matter in themiddle of the bone."
His worst fears were confirmed when that doctor told him that the pulpy matter was secondary cancer.
Hewas told the condition was terminal. An oncology nurse told him itwould only be a matter of months. In fact, he got just over a year.
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