Archive for: August 2007

Consuming a red wine compound called resveratrol may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, report researchers. Male transgenic mice fed resveratrol showed an 87 percent reduction in their prostate tumor risk after 7 months of observation. Besides red wine, other sources of resveratrol include grapes, raspberries, peanuts and blueberries.

More prostate cancers were detected among men who were screened every two years than men screened every four years, according to a new study. But the shorter time between screenings did not reduce the number of aggressive cancers found between the scheduled screening tests.

Researchers have identified a gene, known as OGR1, that suppresses prostate cancer metastasis in mice. Cancer deaths are largely attributed to tumor metastasis--when the cancer cells spread to other parts of the body--rather than primary tumors. Previous research has shown that OGR1 is expressed at lower levels in metastases than in primary prostate tumors.

A new study finds that pectin, a type of fiber found in fruits and vegetables and used in making jams and other foods, kills prostate cancer cells. The study found that exposing prostate cancer cells to pectin under laboratory conditions reduced the number of cells by up to 40 percent.

A new chemical compound which could remove the need for patients to undergo certain invasive diagnostic tests in the future has been created. This new compound could be used in a 'chemically-sensitive MRI scan' to help identify the extent of progression of diseases such as cancer, without the need for intrusive biopsies.

Researchers have identified the first immune molecule that appears to play a role in prostate cancer development and in predicting cancer recurrence and progression after surgery.

Prognostic factors commonly used by clinicians to assess men with prostate cancer do not adequately predict survival outcomes in Asian men living in America, according to the first comprehensive ethnic analysis of Asian-American men with prostate cancer. Most Asian ethnic groups except South Asians paradoxically have better outcomes despite having worse prognostic profiles at the time of diagnosis. Asian-American men as a single, ethnic group have the lowest incidence of disease and the lowest mortality rate.

A clinical trial is testing a new mechanical device called TargetScan aimed at improving prostate cancer detection and helping to provide detailed medical information. Preliminary tests indicate it can improve doctors' ability to detect cancer and could lead to more targeted treatments--reducing life-altering side effects like impotence and incontinence.

Erectile dysfunction after surgery to remove the prostate (radical prostatectomy) has traditionally been attributed to nerve damage that theoretically should heal over time. But it can take as long as two years for the nerves to recover enough for a man to have an erection without the aid of drugs or devices. By that time, other damage may have occurred, according to an article in the latest issue of Perspectives on Prostate Disease.

A large community-based study refutes previous findings that statins -- a top-selling drug class, worldwide -- might cut one's risk of developing prostate cancer by reducing production of the male hormones that fuel cancer growth.