There are several forms of hormonal therapy, three of them are:

• Orchiectomy is surgery to remove the testicles. Because the testicles make most of the body’s testosterone, after orchiectomy testosterone levels drop. Now the prostate not only lacks the testosterone stimulus to produce DHT, but also it does not have enough testosterone to transform into DHT.
• Antiandrogens are medications such as flutamide, bicalutamide, nilutamide, and cyproterone acetate which directly block the actions of testosterone and DHT within prostate cancer cells.
• Medications which block the production of adrenal androgens such as DHEA include ketoconazole and aminoglutethimide. Because the adrenal glands only make about 5% of the body’s androgens, these medications are generally used only in combination with other methods that can block the 95% of androgens made by the testicles. These combined methods are called total androgen blockade (TAB). TAB can also be achieved using antiandrogens.

Image source here.

A range of dietary supplements and herbal medicines claim to offer new methods in prevention or treatment of prostate disease. A quantity of supplements promise and are slowly gaining acceptance in conventional medicine. But even now, the benefits and risks of many products and practices remain unproved and untested. Unfortunately, the manufacturing of these products isn’t well standardized and the amount of active element may vary from one bottle to another bottle or even from pill to pill.

According to research, herbal goods marketed to alleviate common prostate problems, such as frequent urination or a weak urine flow, include:

§                  African plum tree (Prunus africana) §                  African wild potato (Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Hypoxis rooperi) §                  Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) §                  Rye grass (Secale cereale) §                  Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica, Urtica urens)

Ronald Chen, MD of the MGH Cancer Center, together with co-authors Jack Clark, MD of the Boston University School of Public Health, and Judith Manola, MS of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute recently conducted a study on prostrate cancer. Based on their data, it seems like the quality of life factors may not receive adequate consideration when it comes to matching treatments with patients. This seems to stem from the fact that unlike other types of cancers, prostrate deals with subjects that many patients might be uncomfortable discussing even with a doctor.

As James Talcott, MD says, “Prostate cancer patients experience the same fears and hard decisions as all cancer patients do, but prostate cancer treatment directly affects very personal things that most people aren’t comfortable talking about – urinary, bowel and sexual function.”

To read the news in full, please click here.

Photo credits: Wikipedia

MRI’s have long been used as a diagnostic tool for cancer and the many diseases that plague us. Newer generations of MRI scanners are allowing better scans that tracks treatment success of failure and is now also capable of detecting early signs of the deadly disease that more often goes unnoticed before serious symptoms prompts treatment. Cancer as well all know seldom manifests early signs, abnormalities being known only during later stages of the disease when it has already progressed to a non-treatable stage. Effective use of MRI scans to diagnose, detect and monitor the progression of treatment allowing better views of the deadly disease that is prostate cancer.

Men who have high consumption of green tea, long known for its cancer fighting components have shown quite a significant reduction of cancer causing markers according to research. This gives credence to the cancer fighting abilities of Green Tea of which are much hyped phytochemicals. These compounds have long been regarded as cancer fighters and inhibitors reducing their growth and even reversing their adverse effects, a link that has yet to be firmly established by scientists and researchers. Dietary scientists have long known of the link between diet and the many forms of cancer that afflicts many people the world over yet there remains a lot of understanding and study for a better understanding of this very link to llow better cancer cures and preventive measures that can be taken to help aid sufferers the world over.

Scientists from the Wayne State University have identified a form of the gene gaectin-3 to be a good indicator of the progression of prostate cancer in patients. Lack of the specified gene has been found to be a very good way of determining whether the cancer has progressed to advanced stages. All men above 50 are prone to get the said disease of the reproductive organs that if left untreated can cause death. The use of the specified gene can be used as a diagnostic marker which can state the level of progression making diagnosis of advanced cases possible and faster.

[Read more...]

Metastatic Prostate Cancer is known to be the main cause of death due to prostate cancer which is simply the spread of the disease to other parts of the human body. Using molecular technology to determine the mechanisms which are responsible for the spread of such diseases is seen to be one of the most promising approaches to properly determine the diagnosis and treatments for such spreading. Scientists are trying to understand the mechanism to allow proper gene or molecule blocking to make treatment better for those who already have the disease. mRNA’s have been found to synthesize a protein known as KLF6 that in turn signals the cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body, spreading it and increasing the chances of death.

[Read more...]

image source: www.ibspro.net

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. When detected early, before it has spread to other organs, prostate cancer may be curable. A man’s risk for prostate cancer increases with age, and most cases develop in men over age 65 but many older men with prostate cancer die of another cause like heart disease before the cancer has grown enough to cause problems. There is controversy about the value of using digital rectal exams and prostate-specific antigens (PSA) blood test to screen men for prostate cancer. Detecting early prostate cancer may not improve quality of life or prolong life, especially in men who are older or have other serious problems. Therefore many experts are uncertain whether routine screening is appropriate for all men. Since it’s really that much helpful to men, go and talk to your doctor to learn about your risk in getting prostate cancer and whether if screening test are still appropriate for you.

Surgical removal of the prostate, or prostatectomy, is a common treatment either for early stage prostate cancer, or for cancer which has failed to respond to radiation therapy. The most common type is radical retropubic prostatectomy, when the surgeon removes the prostate through an abdominal incision. Another type of surgery is radical perineal prostatectomy, when the surgeon removes the prostate through an incision in the perineum, the skin between the scrotum and anus. Radical prostatectomy can also be done and performed laparoscopically, through a series of small (1cm) incisions in the abdomen, with or without the assistance of a surgical robot. – Source

Danish scientists have found through a 35 year study that the risk of developing prostate cancer in married men is higher that in unmarried ones. The study started through interviews and exams followed by the extensive 35year follow ups that showed, men with less children having the highest risks of developing prostate cancer. Unmarried men and those with more than one children have lower Prostate cancer risks but the idea that becoming a father increases you risk of getting the disease is a controversial one. More studies are being conducted to understand other factors that might have affected the study such as underlying biologic, environmental, social and behavioral factors that may have caused such results for linking fatherhood with prostate cancer is a very controversial claim.