Researchers found that when men had their prostate cancer diagnosed after developing symptoms — and not after screening tests — they had heightened risks of dying from heart problems or other cancers

Its not clear what to make of the findings at this point Mainly, they raise questions for future studies, said Dr Anthony DAmico, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston

“This is a study of associations, and does not prove cause-and-effect Its really hypothesis-generating,” said DAmico, who was not involved in the research

One possibility, according to the study authors, is that hormonal therapy has something to do with the increased risk of heart disease death

DAmico agreed that could be a factor A number of studies, he told Reuters Health, have suggested that hormonal therapy for prostate cancer could raise the risk of heart disease death

But, DAmico added, that link has only been seen in men with a history of heart disease going into the therapy

SCREENING VS USUAL CARE

The findings, reported in the British Journal of Urology International, are based on a subgroup of men who took part in a European clinical trial on prostate cancer screening

The men, who were ages 55 to 74, were randomly assigned to either undergo periodic prostate cancer screening or be part of a control group that stuck with “usual” health care

The researchers followed death rates among 372 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer through screening, comparing them with 1,488 men whod been screened but found cancer-free

They also followed 221 men in the usual-care group whod been diagnosed with prostate cancer after developing symptoms Those men were compared with 884 men from the control group who had not been diagnosed with the cancer

Looking at that latter group, the researchers found that men with prostate cancer were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease or other types of cancer over the next six years

Just under 12 percent died of cancers other than prostate tumors, versus 7 percent of men who had not been diagnosed with prostate cancer And 5 percent died of heart disease or stroke, compared with just over 3 percent of other men

In contrast, men whod had their prostate cancer caught through screening showed no increased risk of death compared with men free of prostate cancer

OFTEN SLOW-GROWING

Prostate cancer screening, such as with PSA blood tests, often catches very early tumors that may or may not be life-threatening Prostate cancer is often slow-growing, and may never progress to the point of being lethal

But when men are diagnosed because theyve developed symptoms like problems passing urine and low back pain, the cancer is often at a more-advanced stage

For those men, one treatment option is hormonal therapy to lower a mans levels of testosterone, which can fuel prostate tumors growth

Several studies have linked the therapy to higher-than-normal risks of cardiovascular “events,” like blood clots or heart attacks, or death from heart complications

In this study, 27 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer based on symptoms ended up having hormonal therapy, according to the researchers, led by Dr Pim J van Leeuwen of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam

So, they say, hormonal therapy might help explain the increased risk rate of death from cardiovascular problems

DAmico agreed that thats a possibility, and called it the most “interesting” point from the findings

As for the increased rate of death from other cancers, DAmico speculated that men with more-aggressive prostate cancer may be genetically vulnerable to other cancers as well

Or, he added, being part of a medical study may have meant they were more likely to have screening tests for other cancers

For now, the reasons for the findings are unclear “This is not something that would change clinical practice,” DAmico said

Like with any treatment for prostate cancer, experts say the risks of hormone therapy have to be weighed against the potential benefits For men with “high-risk” cancer that is likely to progress, for example, studies have shown that a combination of hormonal therapy and radiation can boost survival

Men with early prostate cancer diagnosed through screening would not be the ones given hormone therapy, DAmico said

For those men, surgery may be an option — and so may “active surveillance” That means putting off treatment altogether and monitoring the cancer over time

According to the National Cancer Institute, about half of the more than 190,000 US men diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 fell into the “low-risk” category — meaning their cancer had low odds of progressing

SOURCE: http://bitly/yw2VMt BJU International, online January 30, 2012

The Diet Docs Guide to Permanent Weight Loss is a collaborative effort between Drs. Scott Uloth and Joe Klemczewski. In this book, they offer a reasonable plan to help people stop yo-yo dieting and achieve long term, permanent weight loss. If you have struggled with trying to lose weight and have tried everything in the book, this approach may be the answer you’ve been looking for. Read this review to find out more about the program nad how it works before you decide

The Diet Docs Guide to Permanent Weight Loss gives you an easy way to learn how to create your own meal plans and exercise routine. Yo

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This feeling is heightened by the strong physical reaction that often accompanies a panic attack. Symptoms may include a racing heart, chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, nausea, dizziness, choking feelings, tingling sensations, hot flushes, or chills. Many of t

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Many Central New York runners, who could only fantasize about having an indoor running facility while slogging through knee-high snow and dodging slush-filled potholes and black ice patches, will soon see their wishes come true when the indoor track in Onondaga Community College’s new SRC Arena officially opens in early January. To help local runners get psyched, the YMCA of Greater Syracuse offered a sneak peek of the six-lane, 200-meter indoor track last week.

The indoor track will serve a variety of groups. Current OCC students may use the track and the new Southwest YMCA on OCC’s campus at no charge, and college faculty and staff may pay a $15 monthly fee to use the facility.

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Erivedge (vismodegib) is the first drug sanctioned in the United States to treat basal cell skin cancer that has metastasized, or spread. The once-daily pill is also designed for cases deemed unsuitable for surgery or radiation, the agency said in a news release.

This usually slow-growing, painless form of cancer starts in the epidermis, the top layer of skin. Frequent exposure to sunlight and other forms of ultraviolet radiation are the typical causes, the FDA said.

Researchers evaluated the safety and effectiveness of Erivedge in a clinical study of 96 people with locally advanced or metastatic cancer.

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February 13, 2012 Kicks Off National Bad Breath Awareness Month: Get Screened Today!

WASHINGTON, /PRNewswire/ –In an effort to rescue for Americans with bad breath, leading Periodontists are now treating gum disease-related bad breath with FDA approved laser gum therapy.

, the day before , kicks off National Bad Breath Awareness Month. T

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First, using traditional imaging analyses, researchers found that Parkinson’s patients with MCI had more atrophy in the hippocampus, basal ganglia, amygdala, and insula compared with Parkinson’s patients with normal cognition, whereas Parkinson’s patients with normal cognition showed no significant loss of brain volume compared with healthy controls.

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The company added that these strategies should grow its business in markets where it already has a presence, over the next three to five years.

Driving growth in emerging markets

As part of boosting its presence, the company is targeting Brazil, China and India with plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities in these markets.

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Nearly 5 million Americans have chronic hepatitis, and believe it or not, many don’t know it because they don’t show symptoms. Now a new study shows customers in nail salons could be putting themselves at risk for the deadly disease.

Nancye Swanson does her own nails these days. Six months ago, she almost died from Hepatitis B, a serious liver infection, which doctors say she picked up at a salon.

“It felt like the flu,” she said.

Her skin turned yellow, a symptom of Hepatitis B. It happened while she was getting a pedicure.

“A lot of these places use sharp instruments and they could be reusing those,” said Dr. Robert Gish, a clinical professor at University of California San Diego.

Dr.

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Ending Dimebon Development: Pfizer and Medivation are ceasing development of Dimebon, an experimental Alzheimers treatment, the WSJ reports. It was the second phase 3 trial of the drug to fail. In 2008 Pfizer agreed to pay Medivation $225 million upfront plus up to an additional $500 million if milestones were met for development rights to Dimebon, the paper says.

Polio Setback: The number of polio cases in Afghanistan tripled to 76 in 2011, alarming public-health experts, the New York Times reports.

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Regorafenib is a so-called multikinase inhibitor, which targets several of the ways cancer develops and grows, researchers said

“The drug was tested on patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who had progressed after standard therapies, meaning they had no treatment options available,” lead researcher Dr Axel Grothey, a professor of oncology at the Mayo Clinic, said during a noon press conference at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco on Tuesday

The drug is designed to stop tumor progression, both by preventing cancer cells from growing and by preventing these cells from developing the blood vessels needed to keep them alive, the researchers explained

In the trial, more than 700 patients with metastatic colon cancer were randomly selected to receive regorafenib or placebo

In addition, all patients received care to treat symptoms, but not to change the course of the disease, the researchers noted

Treatment included antibiotics to fight infections, painkillers and corticosteroids

The investigators found that patients taking regorafenib survived an average of 64 months, compared with five months for those receiving a placebo — an increase in survival of 29 percent

In addition, 44 percent of the patients taking regorafenib responded to the drug or had their cancer slowed, compared with 15 percent of the patients receiving placebo, they reported

Based on these findings, the trial was stopped in October so that all patients could be offered the drug

The trial was funded by the maker of regorafenib, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals

“The drug helped patients live longer,” said Dr Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society “But you have to keep in mind that these patients had advanced disease”

And, the gains were modest, he added “Patients who got the drug lived about one month longer Unfortunately, the difference between the groups in the time it took for the disease to get worse was small — about six days,” he said

Lichtenfeld thinks that using the drug earlier in treatment might have more impact “But not every drug, when moved earlier in the course of the disease, is necessarily proven to be effective,” he cautioned

Grothey noted regorafenib is being tested in a phase 2 trial in patients with earlier stage colorectal cancer, in hopes that the results will be even more dramatic

Research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal

I discuss the contentious issue of medical malpractice, and explain how doctor-patient communication is key to improving patient safety and reducing lawsuits in the first place: Doctors also must create and maintain open lines of communication with patients, which is critical to preventing lawsuits in the first place. Doctors have to better explain, and patients better understand, that not all adverse outcomes are due to physician errors.

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Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers because most cases arise from precancerous growths in the colon called polyps. These can be found during a screening exam and removed before they turn into cancer.

Recent research has confirmed that screening is one reason why colorectal cancer death rates are declining, according to an ASGE news release.

Compared to 2002, about 66,000 cases of colorectal cancer were prevented and 32,000 lives were saved in the United States between 2003 and 2007, according to the U.S.

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The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute lists these common symptoms of insomnia:

• Lying in bed awake for a long period of time before you’re able to sleep.
• Only sleeping in short bouts before waking.
• Staying awake for most of the night.
• Feeling exhausted, as if you had no sleep.
• Waking very early in the morning.

Her rep confirmed the happy news to Celebrity Baby Scoop.

Lisa and Roey are already parents to 2-year-old daughter Lyla Rose. We wonder if they are hoping for a boy this time around?

According to CBS, Lisa is on tour for her children’s song book, Lisa Loeb’s Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs.

We wish Lisa a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Not necessarily more, say skin care experts, but different. More than likely, a few simple changes in the way you treat your skin will make it smoother, glowing and less prone to flaking in the cold months. Here are some of their best tips:

Clean Up Your Shower Style

Some tried-and-true bathing rituals can damage your skin in winter. Try these easy fixes:

• Take shorter, cooler showers. No

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