Breast cancer campaign uses body paint on nude models
A CARTOON character squeezing a nipple and another painted with breasts as its head are part of a controversial campaign in Singapore to prevent breast cancer, reported Sin Chew Daily.
Read more on AsiaOne

Maine breast cancer patients benefit from Patient Navigator
A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. Patients are inundated with emotions, doctors appointments, information and financial considerations … Not to mention worries about their families, career and whether they will live. But many breast cancer patients in Maine are significantly more at ease, thanks to a Patient Navigator program. Kathleen Shannon explains in this month’s Buddy to Buddy …
Read more on WCSH 6 Portland

Cancer sufferer amazes medics after going into remission before starting treatment
A retired teacher has astonished doctors after his body rid itself of cancer without treatment. Peter Crane, 60, was diagnosed with a form of leukaemia 18 months ago.
Read more on Daily Mail

Robotic Surgery and Prostate Cancer Treatment Expert Dr. David Samadi, MD Discusses National Prostate Cancer Awareness …
NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ — According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated one in six American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. “Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and is currently the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States,” said Dr. David B. Samadi, a robotic prostatectomy and prostate cancer …
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Breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow opens cancer detection center in LA
Grammy-award winner and breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow opened a breast cancer detection facility in Los Angeles Tuesday at the same cancer center where she received treatment four years ago. The facility, named the Sheryl Crow Imaging Center, will offer digital screening to aid in diagnosing the most common form…
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National Cancer Institute Funds Second Year Of Grant To Guided Therapeutics To Commercialize Non-invasive Cervical …
Guided Therapeutics, Inc. (GT) (OTCBB: GTHP) announced that it was awarded .0 million to fund the second year of a .5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced in 2009. The three-year grant provides additional resources to commercialize and bring to market the LightTouch™ non-invasive cervical cancer detection device and single-patient-use disposable…
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Prostate Cancer Treatment Expert Dr. David Samadi, MD Discusses Preventive Medicine Versus Treatment Or Outcome-Based …
Starting in September, President Obama’s Affordable Care Act will go into effect. The act mandates free preventative services such as cholesterol or breast cancer screenings and tetanus shots. But the question is, will doctors and patients take advantage of these new preventative services? “Unfortunately, thanks to our American healthcare system, we have been programmed to focus on treatment and …
Read more on Medical News Today

Cancer makes event even more meaningful for coach – Tue, 24 Aug 2010 PST
Brigham Young University men’s basketball coach Dave Rose has always given his time generously to support cancer-stricken patients and assist fundraising for cancer research, but it’s taken on new meaning over the last 14 months.
Read more on The Spokesman-Review

Prostate Cancer Treatment Expert Dr. David Samadi, MD Discusses Preventive Medicine Versus Treatment or Outcome-Based …
NEW YORK, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Starting in September, President Obama’s Affordable Care Act will go into effect. The act mandates free preventative services such as cholesterol or breast cancer screenings and tetanus shots. But the question is, will doctors and patients take advantage of these new preventative services? “Unfortunately, thanks to our American healthcare system, we have been …
Read more on redOrbit

With prostate cancer estimated to affect as many as 1 in 6 men, any new research developments that may affect treatment are extremely noteworthy. Because the risks of having prostate cancer increase dramatically with age, every generation is in a race against the clock to find the most effective treatment methods, or prevention methods, possible.

Recently a medical study on men with prostate cancer introduced very interesting news that contradicted some previously held beliefs in the medical community. Some physicians have withheld potentially curative treatment in older men because of a concern about side effects of radiation or surgery. Other physicians have used hormone therapy as a means of delaying cancer progression instead of offering potentially curative treatment.

This new study by Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, however, suggests that drug treatment alone does not improve survival rates of men taking it, and might actually be hindering their improvement. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in July.

The prostate cancer information generated by this article studied about 20,000 men, including Medicare patients, whose prostate cancer had not spread to other areas of the body. The study took 6 years to complete, as information was gathered and the men were studied. All study participants were over the age of 66, which means that the data drawn from the study is particularly relevant to older men, but not necessarily accurate for younger men. Average age of a study participant was 77.

Researchers found that the typical treatment of testosterone-blocking drugs might have more drawbacks than benefits. The testosterone-blockers are meant to keep cancer cells from growing, but also have side effects such as bone loss, impotence, and increased risk for diabetes and heart disease. Ultimately, a treatment plan of the testosterone-blocking drugs alone, in older men, didn’t appear to be effective.

For men considering Georgia prostate cancer surgery, this study does not influence the need for curative surgery or radiation. Often the antihormone drugs can be very effective when they are paired with surgery or radiation. To maximize the effectiveness of a cancer treatment plan for Georgia men, prostate cancer might require surgery or radiation, rather than drug treatment alone.

Researchers theorized that many men felt they were improving their health by taking the drugs without surgery or radiation, because it was a better course of action than doing nothing. Now that their research has shown this to be an ineffective method of treatment by itself, the researchers hope that doctors will avoid the drug treatments except in combination with radiation and/or surgery.

For older men looking for information about Georgia prostate cancer treatment, the study offers an important topic to bring up with their doctors. While surgery and radiation can seem scary, the solution to prostate cancer doesn’t appear to be as easy as popping a pill or receiving an injection, at least for older men. For Georgia men, prostate cancer treatment might require surgery, rather than the simpler approach of a drug treatment.

With the continued research and studies being done, advances in Georgia prostate cancer treatment are continually being made. At this point in time, however, drug treatment alone doesn’t seem to be an effective method in the fight against prostate cancer.

John Critz helps inform men about prostate cancer treatment options . His company, RCOG offers the ProstRcision prostate cancer surgery , a leading prostate seed implant treatment .

Article Source: ArticleSpan

A recent study has revealed a racial disparity in prostate cancer treatment of patients in the U.S.

The study, conducted in 2007 and reported in the Journal of Urology earlier this year, was led by Dr. Kathryn E. Richert-Boe, of Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Oregon. It’s objectives were to determine whether differences existed in prostate cancer treatment received by white and African American men at a health maintenance organization where access to medical care (was) theoretically equal for all members and, if so, to determine the reasons for these differences. The study found that African American patients in the early stages of prostate cancer were less likely than white patients to receive aggressive treatment for their disease.

Researchers conducting the study compared the likelihood of treatment with curative intent (TCI) between the two races, adjusting for age, tumor grade, stage, and the presence of comorbid conditions. What the study revealed was that 82 percent of 158 white prostate cancer patients underwent surgical removal of the prostate gland or radiation therapy for their illness; these are considered more aggressive treatments for the disease. Conversely, only 71 percent of 79 African-American patients received the same type of treatment. Dr. Richert-Boe and the team of researchers investigated whether other factors such as tumor grade, age, overall patient health, and even insurance coverage might explain the difference in treatment; they did not.

Prostate cancer is a leading cancer among men in the United States. In the year 2004, over 189,000 men were diagnosed with the disease. When found early, either through a DRE exam or PSA blood test, treatment is often successful. However, if the cancer goes undetected and reaches advanced stages before it is discovered, effective treatment can be much more difficult.

Prostate cancer in the early stages is often not treated aggressively, because the disease is slow-growing. Many doctors choose to monitor tumor growth and development rather than to prescribe more drastic or aggressive measures early on. The study found that while African American men were just as likely to agree to more aggressive treatments such as surgery or radiation therapy, they were only offered those options in 85 percent of the cases, versus 91 percent for white men.

In the end, the study concluded African American men were less likely to receive TCI than white men. Reasons for the findings in the study are not immediately clear. Additional studies including a larger patient sample is thought to be needed at this point to reveal the true nature of racial disparities in prostate cancer treatment.

James Culp is a prostate cancer survivor and runs ProstAide.org, a blog that keeps track of all the latest prostate cancer treatment options available.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Whether or not to treat prostate cancer conventionally is one of the major medical dilemmas we have today. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. Approximately 222,000 cases will be diagnosed this year, however most prostate tumors tend to grow slowly. They never actually threaten lives. There is no sure way to tell which tumors will grow at a more rapid rate.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) tests can help find tumors many years before they cause any prostate cancer symptoms, however routine screening of men who are at average risk is currently not recommended, because there is no proof that it saves lives.

Prostate cancer treatments are particularly rugged, especially on older men. And many men end up after the treatment with sexual, bladder control or other prostate gland or prostate health problems. Many doctors instead recommend "watchful waiting" to monitor signs of prostate disease and treat it only if the signs or symptoms get worse. Smaller studies have given contrary views of the safety of this approach.

This new study looked at the natural course of the disease in the men who had chosen that option. Grace Lu-Yao of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey was the head of the study. It’s the first study involving so many older men. 50% of the men were over 75 and many of their tumors were found through the PSA tests.

As part of this study they used the U.S. government’s prostate cancer database. The researchers studied 9,017 men who were diagnosed over a period of ten years, from 1992-2002, with early-stage cancer who did not get prostate surgery, radiation or hormone therapy for at least six months. Most of the men never had any treatment whatsoever.

Ten years later only 3 percent to 7 percent of those with the low-grade or moderate-grade tumors (which are rated by how aggressive the cells appear to be) had died of prostate cancer, while 23 percent of those with high-grade tumors died. Overall, prostate cancer killed only 10 percent of the patients.

It’s thought that most of the patients are going to die from something else and because of this most of the older men with the early-stage tumors could delay any treatment. It’s not clear what should be done, if anything – whether it’s conventional prostate surgery, radiation and hormone therapy or alternative treatment. This may be true even if people are younger or have a more advanced prostate cancer. Most cases are diagnosed in men who are 68 or older, and most are in an early stage.

In any event this large study shows that a large number of men do well with no initial treatment and with no treatment long term. So this new study shows that for older men observation is a reasonable approach. Many patients do well for a long period of time with absolutely no treatment.

To sum up, older men with early-stage prostate cancer are not taking a big risk if they just keep a good eye on the progress instead of going ahead with treatment. It’s the largest study to look at this issue since the PSA blood tests to detect prostate tumors became so popular in the 1990s. The study may persuade some middle-of-the-road prostate doctors that we are over-treating prostate cancer and that PSA testing may be magnifying the problem. Finally patients have the opportunity to concentrate on adopting a healthy lifestyle and most importantly adopting a healthy diet.

For more information on prostate cancer treatments and prostate cancer symptoms go to a nurse’s website http://www.BestProstateHealthTips.com specializing in enlarged prostate, and prostate cancer tips, advice and resources, including info on prostate tests and natural prostate cancer treatments

Article Source: ArticleSpan

The most common prostate cancer treatment is complete surgical removal of the entire prostate gland, a procedure which can leave many men with annoying side effects. However, a new version of this surgery has grown exponentially in recent years. Called “minimally invasive radical prostatectomy,” this treatment is nothing all that radical, and does have it’s uses in addition to potential drawbacks.

Minimally invasive surgery is just that: instead of cutting a large slice across the abdomen and opening a wide hole, small half-centimeter or so cuts are incised and an small video camera called a laparoscope is pushed into the hole to remove the prostate. Sometimes this is even done robotically, with the surgeon remote controlling the laparoscope and surgical instruments.

The practical upshot of this type of prostate cancer treatment is that recovery time is shorter, and hospital stays are greatly diminished, from an average of 4 days down to 1 day. Not bad.

There are a few problems with it, however.

Some doctors are concerned about the direct-to-consumer marketing companies have been doing to promote minimally invasive surgery, resulting in very fast growth in the use of the treatment before larger and more comprehensive studies have been performed. Even though it is approved for use, the appeal of the surgery for patients far outweighs evidence that backs up that appeal.

For instance, most prostate cancer patients are attracted to this treatment based on perceived ease of recovery and shorter hospital stays, which is certainly true, but some evidence points to a higher risk of urinary incontinence after the surgery, up to three times more likely than with “regular” radical prostatectomy. In addition, there is a higher need for follow-up treatment such as hormonal therapy and radiation.

On the good side, minimally invasive surgery has a much higher success rate when performed by a surgeon that has done a lot of surgeries. Studies have shown that the more surgeries the doctor has performed, the less the chance of incontinence and “salvage” treatment.

While not as perfect as some hopeful patients see it, minimally invasive radical prostatectomy is an excellent treatment option for prostate cancer patients. Of course each patient is different and depending on the prostate cancer advancement as well as the health and age of the patient, the doctor will put together the best treatment regimen, which will usually consist of a combination of available treatments including surgery, radiation, and hormonal treatment.

James Culp is a prostate cancer survivor and runs ProstAide.org, a blog that keeps track of all the latest prostate cancer treatment options options available.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

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The most common therapies for prostate cancer are surgical removal of the entire prostate gland, radiation treatment, and hormonal therapy.

All of these are highly effective, however, they can often lead to serious side effects that can downgrade quality of life by making erections difficult to achieve and causing loss of nightly urinary control. Fortunately, there are a few new treatments in the works that show promise.

One is an actual cancer vaccine called Provenge, which has shown an increase in survival times of men with prostate cancer as compared to a placebo in controlled studies.

The company that makes it, Dendreon, has sought FDA approval, and although the FDA has agreed that it appears to be a safe and effective drug, they have taken a long time in approving it, asking for more clinical trials.

The drug aims to teach the body’s immune system how to find and fight cancer cells without hurting normal cells, and so far appears to do just that. If and when Provenge is approved it could be an excellent treatment option for all prostate cancer patients.

Another treatment in the works is a gene therapy called Ad5-TRAIL, which is a deactivated human cold virus (called an adenovirus) that carries the gene treatment to the area of the prostate cancer.

So far Ad5-TRAIL has shown promise, but researchers working on it say it is currently too early to make any conclusive statements about its effectiveness. It is currently in Phase I of clinical trials, and so is a bit far away from being on the market, but gene manipulation is a promising future treatment for all cancers, prostate included.

The third new treatment in the works is a form of cryosurgery colloquially known as “male lumpectomy” but officially called focal cryosurgery. Cryosurgery has been around for awhile, and consists of the surgeon injecting cold argon into the prostate gland destroying the cells. It has always had a better recovery rate than surgeries involving cutting, and less side effects as well.

The new focal version of cryotherapy adds new accuracy with even less chance of such side effects as impotence and urinary incontinence.

The procedure has successfully treated 95% of those with prostate cancer in trials, and 80% walk away with no impotence or incontinence, a blessing for those faced with prostate cancer. The treatment is also outpatient, so patients don’t have to face an extended hospital stay, however, it is generally only aimed at early stage prostate cancer as it consists of destroying only a small tumor confined to the prostate gland.

This treatment is currently only performed at a few places outside of research centers, such as Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina.

While current prostate cancer treatment is effective and many illnesses are caught on time and treated successfully, there is room for improvement due to the serious side effects of erectile dysfunction and bladder control problems that are so common. Fortunately, some of these new therapies show hopeful promise for those with prostate cancer.

James Culp is a prostate cancer survivor and runs ProstAide.org, a blog that keeps track of all the latest prostate cancer treatment options available.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

For more extensive information on Herbal and Natural Treatments and Remedies go to:

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Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis in American men. It is also the most common cancer found among men over fifty in the United States and continues to grow at a rampant rate. If prostate cancer is detected early, it is very curable with the proper treatment.

There are quite a few treatment options to choose from when selecting the appropriate procedure. One of the best procedure options for you to consider is a radical prostatectomy. A radical prostatectomy is a common treatment method that involves the surgical removal of the prostate gland. The radical prostatectomy procedure is mainly encouraged for young, healthy men under the age of 70. A prostatectomy is not typically performed on men 70 and above because of the serious complications that can occur.

Choosing a Surgeon:

It’s suggested that patients seeking the best treatment outcome seek a qualified urologist with training in prostate cancer prostatectomy. With an experienced surgeon, the radical prostatectomy should take no more than two hours to perform, with no need for blood transfusion. Depending upon the urologist’s skill set in performing the procedure, the patient may wear a catheter for only a few days instead of the maximum three weeks.

Radical Prostatectomy:

A radical prostatectomy is the surgical removal of the prostate gland. It is a major surgical procedure which is performed in a hospital with the patient under general anesthesia. This procedure is considered to offer the second greatest chance for long-term survival (the highest cure rates are found at a radiation therapy practice in Georgia where they use a combined radiation procedure). During a radical prostatectomy, the surgeon removes the entire prostate and then reconnects the urethra and bladder. After surgery is complete, patients usually remain in the hospital from two to four days.

Complications to the Prostatectomy Procedure:

The outcome of the treatment, cure and complication rates vary based on the urologist performing the surgery. However, the most common complications following prostate cancer treatment are urinary incontinence (uncontrolled urine leakage) and erectile dysfunction (ED, the inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse). The majority of men receiving this treatment will suffer from some degree of urinary incontinence and ED immediately following surgery, but should gradually improve over time.

A prostate cancer radical prostatectomy is one potential solution. Let’s look at the issue of prostate cancer from a higher level.

Selecting the Proper Treatment that’s Right for You:

Choosing the most appropriate prostate cancer treatment for an individual depends upon several factors. These include:

- Which treatment option is going to offer the best chance of curing the cancer (and be careful here as there are many definitions of “cure” – but the only one that has been proven reliable is 0.2 ng/ml five years post-treatment).

- Potential side effects associated with the different forms of treatment.

- Examining the rate at which the cancer is growing and how fast it’s spreading to determine the most effective course of treatment

- Patient age, life expectancy and general health, including any other medical conditions

- The experience and training of the treating physician

There is always some form of shock to men when diagnosed with this type of cancer. Men need time to react and not rush into any healthcare decision early. Its recommended men review all prostate cancer treatment options, outcomes and complications, with a physician to select the best treatment that’s right for them. And don’t be afraid to ask your physician tough questions – ask them how long they trained on the procedure they recommend, and what their personal cure rate is.

Where to Get Additional Information:

While your healthcare provider is a good source for prostate cancer information and answering your questions/concerns related to your medical condition, it’s also important that if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer that you take the time to educate yourself on this disease. Prostate cancer is usually slow-growing, so you have time to do the research on the best treatment option for you, so check the web, read articles and books, and try to talk with others who have faced the battle you are now facing yourself and find out what they did.

No two patient’s healthcare conditions are exactly alike and recommendations can vary with physicians. You should conduct your own research to learn and understand prostate cancer and all the available treatment options. With very few exceptions, you only have one chance at being cured; with proper knowledge you’ll be able to make the most efficient and effective decision.

John Critz helps inform men about prostate cancer treatment options including prostate cancer radical prostatectomy. His company, RCOG helps educate males about radical prostatectomy among other procedures.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

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