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BOSTON – The long-standing prohibition against testosterone therapy in men with untreated or low-risk prostate cancer merits reevaluation, according to a new study published in The Journal of Urology. "For many decades it had been believed that a history of prostate cancer, even if treated and cured, was an absolute contraindication to testosterone therapy, due to the belief that testosterone activated prostate cancer growth, and could potentially cause dormant cancer cells to grow rapidly," says Abraham Morgentaler, MD of Men's Health Boston. "Generations of medical students and residents were taught that providing testosterone to a man with prostate cancer was...

The agency that runs the Medicare program decided in late March that it will pay for patients to receive an advanced new treatment for prostate cancer called Provenge. The decision was cheered by patient groups. The pressure was intense as they demanded that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pay for the pioneering vaccine that already had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Early signals indicated the agency might deny payment because the drug is expensive. But Provenge is expensive because it is expensive to make. The drug is created individually using each patient’s own cells...

In 2004, I wrote an article describing how Americans die needlessly because of the FDA’s delay in approving lifesaving drugs.1 One example of a delayed therapy I cited was Provenge®, which in the year 2002 had demonstrated improved survival in prostate cancer patients.2 In 2007, Dr. Stephen Strum and I co-authored an article showing how enormous numbers of lives could be spared if scientists were liberated from oppressive FDA over-regulation. We described several cancer drugs that should have been approved including Provenge®, which by the year 2007 had extended survival in several clinical studies.3 In 2010, the FDA finally approved...

Boston, Mass. - A cholesterol-lowering drug reduced the enlarged prostates of hamsters to the same extent as a drug commonly used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues in the October issue of the Journal of Urology. Together, the drugs worked even better. "We don't know the mechanism, but the results suggest to us that lowering cholesterol has the potential to reduce BPH in men," says senior author Keith Solomon, PhD, a biochemist, and member of the departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Urology at Children's. "This brings up the possibility that other...

Here's a cartoon to remind you that this is "Breast Cancer Awareness Month". Do what you can to save the ta-tas! That being said, do you know when "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month" is? Probably not. What's needed is a symbol men can relate to which will drive THAT message home.

US researchers have found an antibody that hunts down prostate cancer cells in mice and can destroy the killer disease even in an advanced stage, a study showed Monday.The antibody, called F77, was found to bond more readily with cancerous prostate tissues and cells than with benign tissue and cells, and to promote the death of cancerous tissue, said the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). When injected in mice, F77 bonded with tissue where prostate cancer was the primary cancer in almost all cases (97 percent) and in tissue cores where the cancer...

Boston (SmartAboutHealth) - According to two new studies, coffee and exercise may be the keys to men beating prostate cancer. The first study was carried out by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, and was led by Kathryn M. Wilson. The study focused on data from 50,000 men to get an idea as to the rate at which prostate cancer was being diagnosed, and whether or not coffee would help in any way. Over a 20-year period from 1986 to 2006, there were nearly 5,000 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed out of the 50,000 men. What they found...

Less than 24 hours ago, I lay prostrate on an operating table while surgeons aided by a robot(da Vinci) made six deep cuts in my belly area and carved out my oversized cancerous prostate. The robot allegedly made such precise cuts that important nerves and muscles were protected from damage so my functionality would be maintained. Makes one wonder if you can rent it for carving turkey— Hmmmm.

Less than 24 hours ago, I lay prostrate on an operating table while surgeons aided by a robot (da Vinci) made six deep cuts in my belly area and carved out my oversized cancerous prostate. The robot allegedly made such precise cuts that important nerves and muscles were protected from damage so my functionality would be maintained. Makes one wonder if you can rent it for carving turkey — Hmmmm.

LOS ANGELES – Dennis Hopper has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is canceling all travel plans to focus on treatment. Manager Sam Maydew says the 73-year-old actor and artist is being treated through a "special program" at the University of Southern California. Asked about Hopper's prognosis, Maydew said, "We're hoping for the best."

WYCKOFF, N.J. — Twelve Jersey girls have shed their clothes to pose for a calendar to raise awareness about prostate cancer. Proceeds from “Stand By Your Man: 12 Women in Support of a Cure for Prostate Cancer” will go to the Prostate Cancer Coalition of New Jersey.

Toronto researchers have developed a portable device they say will accurately diagnose prostate cancer in 30 minutes. The microchip technology, created by a pair of University of Toronto scientists, will be able to determine the severity of the tumours through a simple urine sample and produce quick diagnosis with no need for painful biopsies.

Per MSNBC

WASHINGTON – Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., has been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer and intends to have surgery early in August, his office said Friday. Dodd intends to be back at work when Congress reconvenes in September, according to an e-mail his office circulated to fellow senators. The AP obtained a copy. Aides also said the diagnosis would not affect Dodd's plans to seek a sixth term in 2010.

Two prostate cancer patients who had been told their condition was inoperable are now cancer-free as the result of an experimental therapy, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester announced today. “We were all pretty shocked,” says Dr. Eugene Kwon, an immunologist and urologist at Mayo and leader of the clinical trial in which the experimental therapy was being used. “These results were far beyond anything we ever envisioned.” The two patients had a particular subset of prostate cancer that is very aggressive and deadly. Unlike most prostate cancer, which grows slowly and usually remains confined to the prostate gland, aggressive forms...

Experimental drug saves two men with inoperable prostate cancer By FIONA MACRAE 21st June 2009 Two men with inoperable prostate cancer have made dramatic recoveries after being given a single dose of an experimental drug. Both men are now cancer-free and their doctors say their progress has exceeded all their expectations. Dr Eugene Kwon, of the respected Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said: 'This is one of the Holy Grails of prostate cancer research. We have been looking for this for many years.' Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in British men, with nearly 35,000 cases a year, 10,000 deaths...

Oncologists who treat prostate cancer have long been frustrated by a quagmire: They know they treat many men whose disease won't harm them, but at the same time they fail to catch aggressive cases that kill. There's no good way to separate the two right now, but in tomorrow's issue of Nature, a team at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, suggests a new strategy: Look for specific chemicals in urine that could distinguish among patients with no sign of disease, disease that isn't critical to treat, and disease that's most dangerous. Researchers have poured tremendous energy into early cancer...

There is a new breakthrough in search for prostate cancer treatment. Following three years of study, University of Southern California researchers have found a way to halt the spread of prostate cancer. Suppression of the GRP78 protein, a genetic biomarker of aggressive prostate cancer, leads researchers to what they consider a "breakthrough" in cancer research. Amy Lee, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the study's principal investigator, says, "This research has far-reaching implications in a wide range for human cancers," GRP78 contributes to the spread of prostate cancer. It protects tumors, and...

New Study Strengthens Association Of Prostate Cancer With Exposure To Agent Orange ScienceDaily (May 16, 2008) — As men age, their risk of developing prostate cancer increases. Aging Vietnam veterans are giving researchers new opportunities to solidify the connection between in-country exposure to Agent Orange and subsequent prostate cancer development. In a study presented during the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in Orlando, researchers presented data from a large study of veterans enrolled in the Northern California VA System, examining prostate cancer incidence and disease characteristics in those exposed to Agent Orange compared to those who...

Prostate Cancer Can Be Halted With Anti-inflammatory And Statin Used In Tandem, Study Suggests ScienceDaily (Apr. 14, 2008) — Researchers at Rutgers' Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy have shown that administering a combination of the widely used drugs Celebrex (celecoxib, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) and Lipitor (atorvastatin, a cholesterol lowering drug) stops the transition of early prostate cancer to its more aggressive and potentially fatal stage. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States, with more than a quarter-million new cases appearing each year, according to the American Cancer Society. The findings...