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Vol. 7, No. 17 June 8, 2001 ©Lisa Br ook/Lisa Brook Phototgraphy Celebrating the lives of those who fight cancer Above, Christy Russell, assistant professor of medicine and associate director of the Lee Breast Center at the USC/Norris, hugs a cancer survivor at the Festival of Life held at the HSC Quad on Saturday June 2, 2001. Right, Betsy Mushik speaks with volunteer Alice Wu at an information booth. Men who underwent radiation therapy to fight their prostate cancer report that sexual dysfunction is their most prevalent and longest-lasting quality-of-life issue after treatment, according to a Keck School researcher and colleagues. The findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical On- cology , are among the latest research coming from the vast Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study, or PCOS. Ann S. ...

C a n c e r C o n t r o l Editorial March/April 2001, Vol.8, No.2 126 Cancer Control The last three decades have witnessed a progressive improve- ment in our understanding of the natural history of newly diagnosed, clinically localized prostate cancer . Yet we still cannot determine which patients will have a clinical- ly insignificant cancer and thus be managed just by observation and which patients will have a cancer that will require intervention. Better diagnostic tools are cur- rently available,including more pre- cise use of the serum prostate -spe- cific antigen (PSA),incorporation of the total-to-free PSA ratio,improved ultrasound technology and prostate biopsy techniques. Yet African American men,who have twice the incidence of cancer than white men, still benefit ...

Observation in the Management of Localized Prostate Cancer Bryan Hoff, MD, and Julio M. Pow-Sang, MD Background: The widespread use of the prostate -specific antigen test, the availability of ultrasound, and improved techniques for prostate biopsy have led to the diagnosis of organ-confined prostate cancers at an earlier stage. An unknown number of these cancers will be incidental and will not impact the patient’s quality or length of life. Methods: The most recent published reports and decision analysis studies on observation management were reviewed. We also analyzed our own series of observed patients. Results: Three contemporary series on observation and three reports on decision analysis for treatment of early prostate cancer define a group of patients who may be treated with observation. Our own preliminary experience, however, demonstrates that a significant number ...

Abstract : In the present study involving patients with bone metastases arising from prostate cancer , we measured urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD) as a marker of collagen breakdown activity, serum total and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase activities and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA). This study included 20 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and 23 patients with carcinoma, 11 of had with bone metastases. DPD excretion in urine was significantly greater in prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis than in those with localised prostate cancer or BPH (p<0.001), but the difference between the localised prostate cancer and BPH groups was not significant (p>0.05). The serum markers of bone formation [total alkaline phosphatase (T-ALP) and bone ALP (B-ALP)] displayed higher mean concentrations in the group with positive bone metastases ...

This summer, prostate cancer forced New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani to drop out of a heated race for the U.S. Senate. That political bombshell brought new attention to a dis- ease that ranks as the most common cancer among U.S. men and kills more than 30,000 of them annually. Despite intensive study of the cancer , in which cells of the walnut-shaped prostate gland proliferate wildly, researchers have had little success identifying genes that underlie the dis- ease. This week, however, Myriad Genetics of Salt Lake City announced that its scientists have found a mutated gene in a few families whose men are prone to prostate cancer . “There have been a lot of attempts to find [hereditary] prostate cancer genes in the past . but no one has ever identified one until now,” says Timothy Rebbeck of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Only about 10 percent of men diagnosed ...

Using a new drug that enlists the aid of an enzyme naturally abundant in the prostate gland, researchers have reversed advanced prostate cancer in mice. If the drug similarly thwarts the cancer in men, it would be the first to employ the enzyme, called prostate -specific antigen (PSA), as anything more than a blood-test indicator of cancer risk. Prostate cancer persists in many patients after radiation treatment and surgery to remove tumors. Because the male hormone androgen seems to abet prostate -tumor growth, physicians frequently administer hormone suppressants as well. But the drugs’ effectiveness wanes after a year or so, often leaving a patient defenseless against the disease’s spread. Researchers at Merck Research Laboratories in West Point, Pa., tested the new drug, called L-377,202, on 110 mice in which they had implanted tumor cells already resistant to hormone suppressants. When these cells grew into ...

Protein predicts prostate cancer spread Prostate cancer patients who harbor high concentrations of a protein called thymosine beta- 15 in their tumors face an increased risk that the cancer will spread, new research shows. Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston tracked 32 prostate cancer patients who received only radiation therapy. At the start of the study, the scientists measured the thymo- sine beta-15 concentrations in each man’s tumor tissue. After 6 years, cancer had spread to bones in 8 of the 13 patients who had had high thymo- sine beta-15 concentrations, reports radiation oncologist Arnab Chakravarti. In contrast, one of the eight patients who had had little of the protein had any tumor spread. Because prostate cancer ’s course varies, says Roy S. Weiner of Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans, “anything that can home in on the prognosis of individual patients [and] ...

Prostate cancer is common in men as they age, with roughly 180,000 men in the United States receiving the diagnosis every year. If detected early enough, however, the disease is cur- able with surgery and radiation treatments. Unfortunately, a prostate tumor can grow silently until it spreads and becomes incurable. Two novel tests may help physicians catch many more cases of prostate cancer early on. The tests may also produce fewer false alarms and be less invasive of men’s bodies than cur- rent screening and follow-up tests are. Measurement of prostate -specific antigen, or PSA, a protein made in the prostate and found in the blood, currently serves as the best predictor of prostate cancer . A concentration higher than 10 nanograms of PSA per milliliter of blood provides a strong indication of cancer . Physicians regard a test showing PSA at more than 4 ng/ml of blood as a sign that a biopsy of the walnut-size ...

- 1 - Prostate Cancer Detection/Analysis/Mapping System The goal of our work is to develop dramatically improved detection, analysis and mapping of prostate cancer using an integrated package of ultrasound technologies, and then to provide immediate, effective and minimally-invasive treatments for early stage (small) tumors. In partnership with SMTS Corporation, a local startup, we are developing and testing a family of advanced ultrasonic technologies detection of prostate cancer . The prototypes we have built are being used in a clinical human patient testing program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, DC. Although ultrasound is used in various ways during a patient’s encounter with prostate cancer , to date there are no fully integrated systems that are optimized for this application. Moreover, there are a large number of emerging technologies that ...

Vol. 6, No. 32 November 3, 2000 Lori Oliwenstein NO TRICKS, BUT LOTS OF TREATS—Thanks to the involvement of staff and patients campus-wide, Halloween was a day of smiles and sweets for the children from the USC HSC Child Care Center, who started their trick-or- treating a little early. Keck School researchers’ investiga- tion into the roots of prostate cancer got a big boost recently, earning a $2.2 million Prostate Cancer Center Initia- tion Award from the Department of Defense. As part of the grant, Gerhard Coetzee, associate professor of urology, Richard Cote, professor of pathology and urol- ogy, and Juergen Reichardt, associate professor of biochemistry and molecu- lar biology, are investigating the pro- gression of prostate cancer . Ronald K. Ross, professor and chair of preventive medicine, coordinates the project. ...

Stage B Prostate Cancer : Correlation of DNA Ploidy Analysis With Histological and Clinical Parameters Linda B. Mora, MD, Lynn C. Moscinski, MD, José I. Diaz, MD, Pamela Blair, Alan B. Cantor, PhD, and Julio M. Pow-Sang, MD Background: The ability to accurately predict tumor behavior and patient survival is a problem in managing patients with prostate cancer . Prognostic variables in predicting death from tumor include prostate -specific antigen (PSA) level, histological grade, and clinical stage. Observer subjectivity is inherent in determining grade and stage; thus, criteria that are more objective are needed to identify patients for appropriate treatment. Methods: The authors correlated flow cytometric nuclear DNA ploidy with Gleason score, PSA level, and recurrence risk in patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy between 1987 ...

Introduction It is estimated that 179,300 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 1999. An estimated 37,000 deaths due to this disease are expected in 1999, making prostate cancer the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States. 1 The initiation and progression of prostate can- cer involve a complex series of both exogenous and endogenous factors. Although clinical prostate cancer incidence and mortality vary greatly among popula- Nutrients in the Chemoprevention of Prostate Cancer : Current and Future Prospects Nagi B.Kumar, PhD, RD, FADA, and Karen Besterman-Dahan, MA, RD Background: External factors such as diet and lifestyle may be important in the etiology of invasive prostate cancer . Specific features of prostate cancer , including high prevalence, long latency, and significant mortality ...

A Patient’s Guide to Prostate Cancer Screening Currently, doctors disagree about the issue of prostate cancer screening. This issue is whether men without symptoms should be tested for prostate cancer . Controversy exists because screening has both potential advantages and known disadvantages. Studies are currently underway to assess the value of screening, but the results will not be available for over a decade. Until more knowledge is gained, patients should make the decision about prostate cancer screening in conjunction with their doctors. The following information is intended to help you in making this decision. Any questions that you have after reading this material should be discussed with your doctor. The Case For Screening • Advanced prostate cancer is not curable • Without screening, only a small percentage of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early, more curable ...

Executive Headquarters To: Health Authority Chief Executives NHS Trust Chief Executives copy: Trust Medical Directors Trust Directors of Nursing District Directors of Public Health Regional Directors Regional Directors of Public Health Regional Directors of Research and Development Regional Directors of Nursing Regional Directors of Performance Management CHC Chief Officers Patient and professional contacts General Practitioner Fund Holders Department of Health Room 3N12 Quarry House Quarry Hill Leeds LS2 7UE Tel 01732 545 822 Fax 07132 546 069 Dr Graham Winyard FRCP FFPHM Medical Director EL(97)12 June 1997 Dear Colleague Population Screening for Prostate Cancer summary 1. Population screening for prostate cancer , ...

Prostate cancer can be a Jekyll-and-Hyde disease. Some cases progress slowly, and some aggressively. Cancers initially contained by treatment can later become fierce and deadly. Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York now link the dual identity of prostate cancer to a protein encoded by the p27 gene. Degradation of this cancer -suppress- ing protein has been implicated in other malignancies, and the new research confirms that rampant destruction of p27 protein occurs commonly in the most aggressive prostate cancers. The study, described in the Sept. 2 J OURNAL OF THE N ATIONAL C ANCER I NSTITUTE , also suggests that benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate in older men, isn’t necessarily a precursor of cancer , as often feared. Normally functioning cells make p27 protein nonstop. Instructions ...

Prostate cancer genetic region mapped While no one has yet identified a specific genetic defect that causes prostate cancer , scien- tists have mapped three locations on chromosomes that probably harbor mutations predispos- ing a man to the malignancy. A fourth such location was unveiled at the meeting, and it con- tains a twist. Having a genetic defect in a specific area on chromosome 1 seems to boost the risk not only of prostate cancer but of brain cancer , too. Researchers in the Seattle Prostate Cancer Genetics Consortium studied 141 extended fami- lies that each had three or more members with prostate cancer . Twelve of the families included a blood relative who had brain cancer . Members of those 12 families who had either form of cancer displayed the genetic marker much more often than does the general population. While there is apparently a prostate - cancer mutation at work in this region, ...

Gene variations sway prostate cancer risk When it comes to prostate cancer , all men may not be created equal. Likely to be diagnosed in more than 300,000 men in the United States this year, prostate cancer remains relatively rare in Asia, Africa, and South America. Furthermore, black U.S. men have the world’s highest incidence of the cancer , nearly 40 percent higher than even that of white U.S. men. Cancer investigators have long struggled to explain these disparities, citing differences in diet, particularly the amount of fat consumed, as one of many possible contributing factors. More recently, however, scientists have begun to build a compelling case that genetic varia- tion among populations may account for much, perhaps even most, of the difference in prostate cancer risk. A new study now offers evidence that differences in a gene that encodes an enzyme crucial to the growth of prostate cells make ...

Foretelling prostate cancer This year, an estimated 334,500 men will get a dreaded diagnosis: cancer of the prostate . Often, that diagnosis will have been reached with the aid of a blood test that detects a protein called prostate -specific antigen, or PSA. As good as the PSA test is, researchers know that up to 40 percent of men with prostate cancer do not show elevated concentrations of PSA in the bloodstream. For such men, a PSA screening test offers a false picture of prostate health. Donald J. Tindall of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and his colleagues hope that a blood test for a protein known as human glandular kallikrein will improve the detection of prostate cancer . Strikingly similar to PSA, the novel protein is produced by prostate cells and may play a role in the growth and metastasis of prostate cancer . The team developed a test that identifies high concentrations of kallikrein ...

Can selenium avert prostate cancer ? A large study of men indicates that intake of the mineral selenium may help ward off prostate cancer . Researchers examined questionnaire data and analyzed toenail clippings from 33,737 men, ages 40 to 75. A person’s toenails serve as “10 little time capsules” storing records of mineral intake, says study coauthor and epidemiologist Walter C. Willett of Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston. After accounting for confounding factors such as smoking history and age, the researchers found that men with advanced prostate cancer were likely to have lower selenium concentra- tions in their bodies than men without the disease. The scientists matched 181 prostate - cancer patients with 181 similar men without prostate cancer —all within the large study group. This comparison revealed that the healthy men had 0.96 micrograms of selenium per gram of toe- ...

A compound derived from aged garlic dramatically diminishes the growth of human prostate cancer cells, according to data from a new test-tube experiment. Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York worked with a line of cells that retains many of the features characteristic of those in the diseased prostate . For instance, they multiply faster when exposed to testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, or to DHT, a far more potent analog that the body produces from testosterone. The cultured cells also produce compounds characteristic of human prostate tumors, mak- ing them a good model of human disease, explains Richard S. Rivlin, Sloan-Kettering’s director of clinical nutrition. His group exposed the cells to S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), a sulfur compound that forms as garlic ages. It caused the cancer cells to break down testosterone two to four times more quickly than normal—and ...

BIOMEDICINE Homing in on the prostate cancer gene Researchers have zeroed in on the location of a gene linked to prostate cancer , according to a new report. The finding may eventually lead to a genetic test that would foretell some men’s risk of prostate cancer . The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that surrounds the male urethra. Prostate cancer is common, afflicting 340,000 men in the United States each year and killing an estimated 40,000. Jeffrey M. Trent of the National Center for Human Genome Research, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and his collaborators studied North American and Swedish families with a history of prostate cancer . Using molecular techniques, the researchers combed the genome for a gene that, when mutated, increases the likelihood that a man will develop prostate cancer . Their study shows that such a gene is located on the long arm ...

Like an insidious invader, cancer cells can spread through the bloodstream, spawning tumors at distant sites. Prostate cancer , however, can be a reluctant traveler. Yet for an unlucky few men, this can- cer can metastasize and kill. To date, doctors have had difficulty diagnosing prostate cancers likely to spread. Now, a study reported in the May 12 S CIENCE suggests that prostate cancer patients with reduced expression of a particular gene may run the risk of metastasis. J. Carl Barrett of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and his colleagues had had hints that the KAI1 gene on chromosome 11 retards cancer ’s lethal movement. When working properly, such a suppressor gene carries the blueprint for a protein that slows the spread of cancer . Would KAI1 thwart the movement of aggressive prostate cancer cells? To find out, the team ...

Though most prostate cancers do not metastasize, seeding new tumors throughout the body, those that do become incurable. But data from a new animal study suggest the possibili- ty of one day checking this cancer ’s potentially lethal spread with a nontoxic, fruit-derived dietary supplement. The promising agent? Fragments of pectin — the gelling powder used for generations to set jams and jellies. Three years ago, researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit chopped up branched molecules of citrus pectin to make linear, twiglike arrays of the sugar galactose. The frag- ments, they found, could bind to lectins, galactose-seeking proteins on the surface of cancer cells. Ordinarily, lectins foster a cancer cell’s adhesion to the blood vessel wall of any organ it attempts to colonize. By binding those lectins to pectin instead, the researchers had hoped to keep circulating cancer cells in the bloodstream until ...

DIALOGUE THE CURE STARTS HERE • CAMPAIGN FOR THE FUTURE FALL/WINTER 2003 3-D Imaging, Robotic System Enhances Precision for Prostate Cancer Surgery Surgeons at Strong Memorial Hospital and the James P.Wilmot Cancer Center are the first in upstate New York to use high-tech robotic systems to ensure greater precision while performing surgery to remove cancerous prostate tumors.This technology provides surgeons a three-dimensional view, giving them the feel of an open surgery while performing a minimally invasive procedure. “This system truly enhances the images and is dramatically better,” says Jean V. Joseph, M.D., urology surgeon. “The magnified 3-D images improve the accuracy and precision.” Strong recently added the daVinci Surgical System to expand laparascopic procedures in urology and cardiac surgery. The leading-edge ...

Visualization of the MEDLINE Database for Prostate Cancer Xingye C. Lei, Ph.D., Paul Whitney, Ph.D., Dennis McQuerry, B.S., Beth Hetzler, M.S. Battelle Memorial Institute, Richland, WA 99352 and Leroy J. Korb, M. D. Northwest Hospital, Seattle, WA 98133 ABSTRACT This paper describes the application of modern data analysis systems to prostate cancer research articles. The articles are studied as a group to address the questions: 1. What are the trends in diagnostic and treat- ment research? 2. Which organizations and individuals are en- gaged in prostate cancer research, and how has their participation varied over time? In this paper, the text analysis software Spatial Para- digm for Information Retrieval and Exploration (SPIRE“) and general statistical software SAS¤ were used to address these questions. INTRODUCTION The study of ...

Are you confused about whether to be tested for prostate cancer ? Last Modified September 28, 1998 Many doctors are confused about this, too! Screening means that we test people who have no symptoms. The American Cancer Society recommends that men be screened annually starting at age 50 and that some men (African American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer ) be tested beginning at age 40. Other groups (US Preventive Services Task Force, Canadian Task Force, and National Cancer Institute) do not recommend testing. Why the difference in opinions? Here are some simple but important questions to be considered when we choose whether to screen for a condition: 1. Is the condition common? None of the groups disagree on this point. Prostate cancer is common and is more common the older you get. 2. Does the condition have a latent state? In other words, does the condition have a quiet period ...

Hahn and Roberts From Journal of Family Practice 1993;37(5):435-6) Patient Information PSA ( prostate -specific antigen) Screening for Prostate Cancer Before having the PSA ( prostate -specific antigen) blood test, you should know the answers to the following questions: 1. QUESTION: How big a problem is prostate cancer for me? (How likely am I to die of prostate cancer , compared to dying of something else?) ANSWER: Prostate cancer is common in older men, and can cause death. Current estimates indicate that a 50 year-old American man has an approximately 40% (4 in 10) chance of developing cells that look like prostate cancer under the microscope, a 10% (I in 10) chance of having symptoms and being diagnosed with prostate cancer , and a 2% to 3% (2 to 3 in 100) chance of dying from prostate cancer . Compared with the 2% to 3% (2 to 3 in 100) chance of dying from prostate ...

Copyright © 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company. All rights reserved. 391 A BASIC INFORMATION DESCRIPTION Growth of malignant cells in the prostate gland, the gland at the base of the urinary bladder in men that helps form semen. Many prostate cancers grow very slowly and never cause symptoms or spread. It usually affects men over age 50. FREQUENT SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS Early stages: • No symptoms (usually). Most prostate cancers are dis- covered during a routine rectal examination. Later stages: • Urinary obstruction. • Pain in the low back or pelvis from spread of cancer . CAUSES Unknown. Prostate cancer does not seem related to an enlarged prostate , a common condition in older men. RISK INCREASES WITH • Genetic predisposition. • Hormonal influences. • Exposure to cancer -causing chemicals. • Sexually transmitted disease. ...

prostate cancer spot the symptoms, know the facts Prostate gland Penis Urethra Testis Prostate cancer facts Only men can develop prostate cancer and the risk of getting it increases with age. Many prostate cancers grow slowly and may not cause problems, but some grow quickly and need early treatment. It is impor- tant to recognise any symptoms and tell your doctor. How common is it? Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in UK men. More than 70 men are diagnosed with the disease every day. Nine out of ten cases occur in men over the age of 60. The number of prostate cancer cases reported world- wide is going up. One reason for the increase is that men are living longer. They are more likely to reach old age and develop prostate cancer . Another reason ...

5.23 11/10/03 Page 1 Early Prostate Cancer : Questions and Answers 1. What is the prostate ? The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. The prostate makes and stores a component of semen and is located near the bladder and the rectum. The prostate surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that empties urine from the bladder. A healthy prostate is about the size of a walnut. If the prostate grows too large, the flow of urine can be slowed or stopped. Key Points • The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system (see Question 1). • The most common risk factor for prostate cancer is age (see Question 3). • Prostate cancer often does not cause symptoms for many years. By the time symptoms occur, the disease may have spread beyond the prostate (see Question 4). • The symptoms of prostate cancer can also be caused by noncancerous ...