Drugs Give No Advantage to Older Men With Early Prostate Cancer

I certainly don't want to be a harbinger of bad news, but I just came across this post in the Wall Street Journal and thought I should let you know about it.

A cancer diagnosis seems like a call for dramatic action, but sometimes it may be better just to hold off on doing anything. Take the case of early-stage prostate cancer in elderly men.
Despite a lack of evidence, hormone-altering drugs are sometimes given to men with early-stage prostate cancer who don’t want or shouldn’t get therapies. But a study in this week’s JAMA suggests that the drugs don’t do any good as a stand-alone treatment for men with early-stage disease.
The standard options for men with prostate cancer that hasn’t spread to other parts of the body are radiation, surgery or “watchful waiting” — doing nothing, and keeping an eye on the cancer. Watchful waiting can be a good option for older men, because prostate cancer often grows so slowly that it doesn’t wind up causing major problems.
The JAMA study, funded in part by the National Cancer Institute, mined a federal database to come up with nearly 20,000 men aged 66 or older who were diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer between 1992 and 2002 and who did not receive radiation or surgery in the first six months after diagnosis. Follow-up went through 2006.
Forty-one percent of the men (median age: 77) received androgen deprivation therapy, as the drug treatment is known, within six months of diagnosis; the rest had watchful waiting. Overall, the risk of death was the same for men in both groups, even after the researchers adjusted for various differences between the groups.
“People think doing something is better than nothing, but that may not be true,” the lead author, Grace Lu-Yao of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, told USA Today.

Music Therapy and Cancer

Bone marrow transplant patients report less nausea and pain, and a faster recoveryMusic therapy for patients who have undergone a bone-marrow transplant reduces their reports of pain and nausea and may even play a role in quickening the pace at which their new marrow starts producing blood cells, according to a pilot study to be published later this year in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. The study, led by O.J. Sahler, M.D., at the University of Rochester Medical Center, was done with 42 patients on the bone marrow transplant unit at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. Students studying at nearby Nazareth College provided music therapy to 23 patients after their transplants, while 19 'control' patients received standard follow-up treatment. Patients ranged in age from 5 to 65 years of age; most were being treated for various types of cancer, including leukemias, lymphomas, and solid tumors. The patients who met twice each week for music-assisted relaxation and imagery reported significantly less pain and nausea - on average, they rated both their pain and nausea 'severe' before sessions, but 'moderate' after sessions. Their new bone marrow took hold faster, too: The average time until patients began producing their own white blood cells was 13.5 days in the group receiving music therapy, compared to 15.5 days in the control group. The length of this span of time, when patients are most vulnerable to infection, is crucial. In some medical settings, such as mental health services, music therapy has been used widely to decrease patients' perception of pain, anxiety and depression, and boost their feelings of relaxation. It's also used in hospice to comfort terminally ill patients. But it's not commonly used with bone marrow transplant patients, who are often hospitalized for a month or more. Because their immune systems have been wiped out, visits are kept to a minimum to avoid infections, and feelings of isolation often set in. Patients can have a variety of side effects, including pain, nausea, fatigue, anemia and dehydration. 'One reason we began this study was because patients were requesting new ways of treatment,' says Sahler, a behavioral pediatrician who works with children who have chronic and terminal illnesses. 'The patients told the staff, 'I know I'm about to go through a major challenge that will be very painful and isolating. What do you have to offer me to help me get through this?' Music therapy was one answer. We originally began the study with children but quickly decided to enroll adults as well.' Sahler teamed up with Bryan Hunter, Ph.D., an associate professor of music and the coordinator of music therapy at Nazareth College and adjunct associate professor of pediatrics at the Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong, who has established music therapy programs in several hospitals.

The Man's Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting one in six men throughout their lifetime. With over 230,000 new cases each year it is essential that American men are educated about the risk factors. These and other sobering facts are the driving forces for the need for better treatments and a cure for recurrent prostate cancer.
A diagnosis of prostate cancer can change a man's life and the lives of those close to him. These changes can be hard to handle. It is common for a man and his family and friends to have many different and sometimes confusing emotions.
Until we have more answers, more research and education is crucial to fighting this deadly disease. Use the links above to help make further strides in treatment and ultimately finding a cure.

Hair-Loss Drug Could Hinder Prostate Cancer Detection

Author:
Karen Barrow
Medically Reviewed On: August 14, 2007
A popular hair-growth drug may alter the accuracy of prostate cancer screening, say researchers.
Propecia, a drug commonly used to regrow thinning hair, appears to alter levels of a hormone that alerts doctors to an increased risk of prostate cancer in middle-aged men, possibly hiding the presence of the disease.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a hormone always present in men, but it tends to become elevated if prostate disorders including cancer develop. Therefore, PSA testing has become a routine cancer screening, recommended to begin around age 40, when the risk of prostate cancer begins to grow.
However, a recent study has shown that Propecia may interfere with the results of this screening, as it seems to lower the amount of PSA present in a man’s body.
“For these men, the PSA needs to be corrected, of the detection of prostate cancer may not occur until it is more aggressive,” said Dr. Anthony D’Amico, lead study author from the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
For the study, D’Amico and colleagues looked as 355 men between the ages of 40 and 60, 247 of whom were given a low dose of Propecia for 48 weeks. The men’s PSA levels were measured before the start of the study and once every 12 weeks.
By the end of the study, the researchers determined that PSA levels dropped by 40 percent in men in their 40s and 50 percent in the men in their 50s.
Those not taking the drug had an average PSA level increase of 13 percent, relatively normal as PSA levels tend to increase with age.
Interestingly, finasteride, the active ingredient in Propecia, has also been used to treat prostate enlargement, but this is the first study to find that a very low dose of Propecia also impacts the prostate.
D’Amico believes that people who take Propecia and other finasteride-containing drugs, such as Proscar should receive more sensitive tests to detect prostate cancer if their PSA levels show even a small increase.
The researchers recommend that men over the age of 40 be sure to inform their doctors if they are taking Propecia, and make sure that their PSA levels are adjusted accordingly.

Prostate Surgery Aftercare

So you've just had surgery for prostate cancer. Now what? You're probably feeling some relief in some ways, but probably pretty uncomfortable, just from the surgery. Here's what the experts say:
When the patient awakens in the recovery room after the procedure, he already has a catheter, and is receiving pain medication via the IV line inserted prior to surgery.
The initial recovery period lasts approximately one week, and includes some pain and discomfort from the urinary catheter. Spastic convulsions of the bladder and prostate are expected as they respond to the surgical changes. The following medications are commonly prescribed after TURP:
B&O suppository (Belladonna and Opium). This medication has the dual purpose of providing pain relief and reducing the ureteral and bladder spasms that follow TURP surgery. It is a strong medication that must be used only as prescribed.
Bulk-forming laxative. Because of the surgical trauma and large quantities of liquids that patients are required to drink, they may need some form of laxative to promote normal bowel movements.
Detrol. This pain reliever is not as strong as B&O. There may be wide variations in its effectiveness and the patient's response. It also controls involuntary bladder contractions.
Macrobid. This antibiotic helps prevent urinary tract infections.
Pyridium. This medication offers symptomatic relief from pain, burning, urgency, frequency, and other urinary tract discomfort.
This information came from http://www.answers.com/topic/transurethral-resection-of-the-prostate?cat=health. There are so many wonderful websites that will give you the information you're looking for, but feel free to email me if you have any problems finding what you need!

What causes prostate cancer?

The cause of prostate cancer is unknown, but the cancer is thought not to be related to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). The risk (predisposing) factors for prostate cancer include advancing age, genetics (heredity), hormonal influences, and such environmental factors as toxins, chemicals, and industrial products. The chances of developing prostate cancer increase with age. Thus, prostate cancer under age 40 is extremely rare, while it is common in men older than 80 years of age. As a matter of fact, some studies have suggested that among men over 80, between 50 and 80% of them may have prostate cancer!
Genetics (heredity), as just mentioned, plays a role in the risk of developing a prostate cancer. For example, black American men have a higher risk of getting prostate cancer than do Japanese or white American men. Environment, diet, and other unknown factors, however, can modify such genetic predispositions. For example, prostate cancer is uncommon in Japanese men living in their native Japan. However, when these men move to the United States, their incidence of prostate cancer rises significantly. Prostate cancer is also more common among family members of individuals with prostate cancer. Thus, a person whose father, grandfather, or even uncle has prostate cancer is at an increased risk for also developing prostate cancer. To date, however, no specific prostate cancer gene has been identified and verified. (Genes, which are situated on chromosomes within the nucleus of cells, are the chemical compounds that determine specific traits in individuals.) info courtesy of WebMD.

Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer

According to a well-known surgeon, most men who have prostate cancer immediately focus on treatment. That is a big mistake. Right now, forget about treatment. First, understand prostate cancer - about the meaning of PSA, Gleason score, stage, PSA nadir, microscopic capsule penetration and how to determine cure and cure rates for prostate cancer. Learn about the disease first and then let treatment outcome (cure and complication rates) determine your treatment decision and decision on a doctor.
Let's look at the PSA test:
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland. The PSA test measures the level of PSA in the blood. The doctor takes a blood sample, and the amount of PSA is measured in a laboratory. Because PSA is produced by the body and can be used to detect disease, it is sometimes called a biological marker or tumor marker.
It is normal for men to have low levels of PSA in their blood; however, prostate cancer or benign (not cancerous) conditions can increase PSA levels. As men age, both benign prostate conditions and prostate cancer become more frequent. The most common benign prostate conditions are prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (enlargement of the prostate). There is no evidence that prostatitis or BPH causes cancer, but it is possible for a man to have one or both of these conditions and to develop prostate cancer as well.
PSA levels alone do not give doctors enough information to distinguish between benign prostate conditions and cancer. However, the doctor will take the result of the PSA test into account when deciding whether to check further for signs of prostate cancer.