Vitamins & Minerals

An experimental pill that blocks the production of male hormones that fuel prostate cancer may help slow the growth of hard-to-treat tumors.

The novel agent, called abiraterone, shrank tumors by 30% or more in one-fourth of 31 patients whose prostate cancer continued to spread despite standard hormone therapy. In an additional 35% of men, tumors stopped growing.

“A few patients are still alive, without any signs of progression, more than a year after therapy began,” says researcher Charles J. Ryan, MD, a cancer specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Without the new drug, they would have only been expected to live three or four months, he tells WebMD.

The researchers also used PSA levels to evaluate abiraterone’s effectiveness. PSA levels are a measure of a protein called prostate-specific antigen, which is produced by cells in the prostate. High PSA levels can signal cancer. The National Cancer Institute views a response to treatment as being seen when there is at least a 50% decline in PSA blood level.

After 12 weeks of treatment, abiraterone reduced PSA levels by 50% or more in 71% of the men. In two men, PSA fell to undetectable levels.

Ryan presented the results here at the 2009 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. The meeting is co-sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and two other cancer care organizations.

How Abiraterone Works

“This is currently the most promising prostate cancer drug on the horizon,” says ASCO spokesman Howard Sandler, MD, chairman of radiation oncology at the Samuel Oschin Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

That may be because abiraterone works differently than other hormone treatments.

Prostate cancer grows when exposed to the male hormone testosterone and its related hormones, called androgens. Hormone treatment is given to halt the production of testosterone and androgens.

Current treatments — surgical removal of the testes or medication – prevent the production of male hormones in the testes. But these approaches do not prevent other parts of the body from making male hormones. Abiraterone targets an enzyme called CYP17 that is necessary for the production of male hormones throughout the body.

The new study involved men who had been surgically or medically treated to prevent testosterone production in the testes. None had been treated with chemotherapy, which is sometimes given when cancer continues to grow and spread despite treatment with hormone therapy.

The men took abiraterone orally once a day. The drug was generally well tolerated, with no patient stopping treatment due to side effects.

Ryan notes that another study that did include men who were given chemotherapy after hormone treatment stopped working had similar results.

The new study was funded by Cougar Biosciences, which makes abiraterone.

Researchers are now enrolling men in a larger, longer study in which they will be randomly assigned to abiraterone or a placebo. If the promising results hold up, the company will apply for FDA approval of the drug. But that’s at least a few years away, doctors say.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among men in the U.S. It was diagnosed in more than 180,000 men and claimed the lives of more than 28,000 men in the U.S. last year.

By Charlene Laino

Symptoms
Symptoms of enlarged prostate include frequent urination (especially if the man wakes up continually during the night to go to the bathroom), burning with urination and a discharge from the penis. Additionally, one can have a sensation of fullness behind the scrotum and in front of the rectum. These symptoms occur because infection makes the prostate gland swell.

When a man has an enlarged prostate, he will have a thin stream of urine which stops and starts rather than a full stream of urine. He may have difficulty starting his urinary stream and may often have dribbling after he finishes urinating. As the symptoms progress, the bladder may not empty entirely and urine is retained, increasing the risk of infection.

Diagnosis
The diagnosis is made by a rectal examination, urinalysis, a check of the discharged fluid for signs of infection or inflammation, a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, and frequently with ultrasound.

Studies now show that PSA is a predictor of prostate size as well as prostate cancer. The larger the prostate, the higher the PSA. And the higher the PSA, the greater the urinary problems and the likelihood of needing surgery.  Typically, enlargement becomes an issue when the number goes above about 1.3 to 1.5, but we do also have to rule out cancer.

Ultrasound has proven a particularly useful tool in diagnosing enlargement. It allows us to produce an image of the bladder, which tells us how well a man is emptying his bladder. The device is handheld and totally painless.

In some cases we also have the man urinate into an apparatus that measures flow rate. Other men may benefit from developing a voiding diary, in which they record the amount of urine voided and the time. It may also be helpful to record fluid intake, since many men have problems when they drink too much, such as four beers right before bed.

Treatment may involve antibiotics, medications to shrink or relax the prostate, soaking in a warm tub of water and frequent ejaculation. (See not all medicine is bad, guys.) The goal is to avoid reaching the point of urinary retention, where the man can’t urinate at all. This can lead to catheterization or even surgery.

Treatment
For most patients suffering from an enlarged prostate who do not have kidney damage or serious infection, the ultimate decision must be left to the patient. While there are absolute indications of intervention, most situations depend on how bothersome the symptoms are to the individual. All options need to be discussed and considered along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Sometimes men may take antibiotics for a long period of time without any true benefit. In fact, many of these conditions are not infections but simply muscle spasms involving the prostate and surrounding tissue. This is a condition called prostatosis or prostadynia. Treatment for this includes muscle relaxants and warm baths. Hytrin or Cardura, typically used for high blood pressure are also muscle relaxants and have been shown to be successful. These days, however, Flowmax or Uroxitrol are more often prescribed.

Over the past several years, a large amount of research has been done on the prostate gland and BPH. Doctors now know more and can provide more useful treatments. Always look into the latest treatment alternatives—there are constantly new treatments coming out. Check back with http://www.maleprostatenews.com for the latest updates on treatment news.

 Prostate cancer is one of the leading killers of men. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 186,320 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and 28,660 will die from it.

Although it’s one of the most common cancers suffered by men, there are ways to minimize the risk of getting prostate cancer. Here is a few suggestions:

1. Get Tested. All men age 50 and older should be tested annually for prostate cancer. There are two types of prostate cancer screening: the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and the digital rectal exam.

The first test measures the level of PSA in the blood. PSA is a substance made mostly by the prostate. Too much PSA in the blood may indicate prostate cancer. However, high levels of PSA may also be indicative of infection, inflammation or an enlarged prostate.

The second test involves a doctor or nurse placing a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to check the prostate for lumps and anything else unusual.

2. Get Plenty of Vitamin D. Spending time in the sun and taking a daily supplement will help men increase their levels of vitamin D and possibly reduce their risks of prostate cancer.

Vitamin D has been shown to inhibit prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. Vitamin supplements as offered by http://vitamist.mobi has several spray vitamin products that can assist with the most effective nutritional supplements.

Calcium may reduce the amounts of biologically active vitamin D in the body, so milk drinkers should also look for additional sources of vitamin D, which can be found in cod liver oil, tuna and salmon.

3. Quit Smoking. In addition to harming the lungs and the heart, smoking may also be responsible for the spread of prostate cancer.

A 2003 study from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that men under the age of 55 who had prostate cancer and were current or former smokers were 66 percent more likely to see the cancer spread into other areas of the body.

4. Reduce body fat. Being overweight and maintaining a diet that is high in saturated fat, as well as processed and red meats, are risk factors for prostate cancer. Fatty diets have been found to increase testosterone production, which in turn increases the risk of prostate cancer. Research has also shown that men who consume red meat at least five times a week had a 2.5 percent increase in developing prostate cancer than men who ate red meat less then once a week.

5. Eat a Variety of Healthy Foods. There has also been promising research that shows pomegranate, soy and foods high in lycopene, such as tomato sauce, reduce the risk of prostate cancer as well as maintaining a healthy diet is one of the best ways men can reduce their risk of cancer.

The prostate is a gland that is in the male reproductive system and it is located just below the bladder, and the prostate surrounds part of the urethra, which is the canal that empties the bladder, and which produces a fluid that forms part of the semen. Due to its location, which is, as specified, below the bladder and directly in front of the rectum, the prostate can be palpitated through the rectum.

As well, although it is known as a gland, an organ would be more of a descriptive term for the prostate, as it is made of two lobes and is completely surrounded by an outer tissue layer.

What Does the Prostate do?

The prostate is a very important part of the male body, and its most major function is that it makes up a fluid which activates the sperm as they are being ejaculated. As well, it bathes the sperm, thus providing them the nourishment that they need in order to be able to ‘swim’.

The most common problem that happens in this part of the body is that cancer affects it, and this is why if you are a man it is so truly important to get yourself checked out as often as possible, so that if you do happen to get cancer, it can at least get noticed as soon as possible and thus appropriate methods of treatment can be used immediately.

This type of cancer is one of the most common in the world, and so if you are a man this is more important than anything almost, because you are at the most greatest odds for getting this type of cancer over any other. Just make sure that you have an intelligent and experienced doctor, so that you will know that you are in capable hands and can thus trust them to make proper and judgmental decisions.

As well, if you ever do find out that you have cancer, know that there are effective treatment methods that are available and so you can overcome this and you will be able to get back to your normal self once again. Just remember to think positively and know that you can make it through and realize that as long as you do everything you possibly can that is positive for you then you will be fine.