NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A healthy weight and regular exercise may help protect men from one of the most common side effects of prostate cancer surgery, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among 165 men who had their prostate glands removed due to cancer, those who were not obese and were getting regular exercise before surgery had the lowest prevalence of long-term urinary incontinence.
What's more, even among obese men, those who had been physically active before surgery were less likely to be incontinent one year after surgery.
All of the men in the study had undergone radical prostatectomy, where a surgeon removes the prostate gland and some of the surrounding tissue. Urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction are common side effects, though both often improve over time.
So far, most efforts to prevent lasting side effects have focused on improving surgical techniques -- limiting damage to the nerves, muscles and blood vessels around the prostate gland.
But these latest findings suggest that there are also lifestyle measures men can take to cut their risk of lingering urinary incontinence, said lead researcher Dr. Kathleen Y. Wolin, an assistant professor of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
"This is another reason for men to get up and get active," she told Reuters Health in an interview.
In general, men with prostate cancer, like all other men, are encouraged to follow a healthy lifestyle, which includes regular exercise. A study published last month found that among men with prostate cancer, those who got as little as 15 minutes of exercise per day had lower death rates than inactive men during the two-decade study period.
"We strongly recommend that men with prostate cancer talk with their physicians about how to fit physical activity into their lives if they are currently sedentary," Wolin said.
For their study, published in the Journal of Urology, Wolin and her colleagues looked at urinary incontinence rates among 165 men roughly one year after radical prostatectomy. Before surgery, all of the men had reported on their exercise habits; those who said they exercised for at least one hour per week were considered active.
Overall, the researchers found that obese, sedentary men had the highest rate of long-term incontinence, at 41 percent. Active, non-obese men had the lowest rate, at 16 percent.
Among obese men who were physically active, one-quarter were incontinent, which was identical to the rate among non-obese, inactive men -- suggesting, the researchers say, that exercise can offset the negative effects of obesity.
Exactly why exercise might prevent incontinence is unclear. One possibility, Wolin said, is that exercisers have better overall muscle tone, which may help with bladder control.
Another potential reason is that long-time exercisers are more likely to follow their doctors' advice on performing post-surgery Kegel exercises, which strengthen the pelvic-floor muscles and may improve incontinence and sexual function.
According to Wolin, more studies are needed to see whether certain types and intensities of exercise are more effective than others -- and how exercise habits after prostate surgery may affect long-term incontinence risk.
SOURCE: Journal of Urology, February 2010.
by the Cherokee Tribune staff
January 06, 2010
Southern Baptist Convention President Dr. Johnny Hunt of Towne Lake will undergo surgery today to remove a cancerous prostate.
The 57-year-old senior pastor of First Baptist Woodstock announced in November his prostate cancer diagnosis and plans to undergo initial treatment in January.
Jim Law, executive pastor of the church, said Hunt's surgery would be done at Northside Hospital in Atlanta.
"Dr. Hunt would like to thank so many churches and individuals who have interceded on his behalf these past few weeks," Law said in a statement released through the Baptist Press. "He is deeply grateful and has sensed the prayers and the love that has been demonstrated to him in so many ways by many Southern Baptist brothers and sisters."
Hunt and his wife, Janet, "have come to this decision after much prayer and seeking the Lord," Law said in the statement referring to the operation.
Hunt was elected the convention's president during its annual meeting in Indianapolis in June 2008. He was re-elected at the 2009 meeting in Louisville, Ky.
With 16.2 million members, the Nashville-based convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.
First Baptist Woodstock, which has more than 17,600 members, is Cherokee's largest church and the third-largest place of worship in metro Atlanta.
Reference: http://www.cherokeetribune.com
An experimental drug is on the way, which might be effective to fight brain cancer (glioblastoma) and prostate cancer.
The researchers are experimenting on this drug at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre (UTSMC).
According to Jerry Shay, professor of cell biology, the drugs are promisisng because they attack not only the tumour cells but also the rare cancer stem cells in the body. So, it would be effective to root out cancer from the body.
"Because it attacks a mechanism that's active in most cancers, it might prove to be widely useful, especially when combined with other therapies," said Shay.
The researchers did the observation by putting two isolated trials such as human cells and rodents.
In the brain cancer experiment in rodent trials, the researchers also noticed that the drug crossed from the bloodstream into the brain, which is especially important because many drugs cannot even cross the blood-brain barrier.
Glioblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumours in adults and also very difficult to treat because of its tightly constructed walls, which prevent proper absorption.
Clinical Cancer Research has published this finding in its January issue.
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Pomegranates have made headlines in the past for being helpful in fighting prostate cancer and benefiting the heart. Now researchers find that eating the fruit may reduce the incidence of hormone-dependent breast cancer.
Pomegranates are a rich source of a type of phytonutrient (plant-based nutrient) called ellagic acid, which belongs to a larger group of compounds known as ellagitannins. Ellagitannins are water-soluble, which makes them easy for the body to absorb. When naturally occurring ellagitannins (found in fruits such as pomegranates, raspberries, and others), they are broken down into ellagic acid, glucose, and other substances.
The principal investigator of the new study, Shiuan Chen, PhD, director of the Division of Tumor Cell Biology and co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at City of Hope in Durante, California, noted in the news release from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) that phytonutrients have the ability to “suppress estrogen production that prevents the proliferation of breast cancer cells and the growth of estrogen responsive tumors.”
The ellagic acid found in pomegranates inhibits aromatase, an enzyme that transforms androgen to estrogen. Because aromatase has a major role in breast cancer, the ability of pomegranates to suppress this enzyme means they have the potential to inhibit the growth of breast cancer.
Dr. Chen and his colleagues evaluated whether the phytonutrients in pomegranates can inhibit aromatase and ultimately cancer growth. From a group of ten ellagitannin-derived compounds in pomegranates, they found that the fruit has the potential to prevent estrogen-responsive breast cancers. A metabolite of ellagic acid, called urolithin B, significantly inhibited breast cancer cell growth.
Gary Stoner, PhD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Ohio State University, who was not associated with the study, noted that the results are promising enough to warrant further experiments with pomegranate in both animals and humans. Powel Brown, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist and chairman of the Clinical Cancer Prevention Department at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, concurred with Stoner’s assessment and suggested that future research focus on testing pomegranate juice for its impact on estrogen levels, menopausal symptoms, and as a cancer preventive agent.
Pomegranates have been the subject of much research in the fight against prostate cancer as well. One example is a recent study published in October 2009 in which scientists found that pomegranate extract induced the death of prostate cancer cells. A subsequent study noted that the ellagic acid in pomegranate juice may be responsible for its benefits against prostate cancer.
In an Oklahoma State University review, researchers noted that pomegranate juice has been shown to significantly reduce atherosclerotic lesions in mice and intima media thickness in cardiac patients, and to reduce both serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity and systolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients, all of which benefit the heart.
Stoner suggests that individuals “might consider consuming more pomegranates to protect against cancer development in the breast and perhaps in other tissues and organs.” Given that research indicates that pomegranates may help fight prostate cancer, benefit the heart, and also fight serious infections such as MRSA, it seems like good advice.
SOURCES:
American Association for Cancer Research, news release Jan. 5, 2010
Basu A, Penugonda K. Nutrition Reviews 2009 Jan; 67(1): 49-56
Kasimsetty SG et al. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2009 Nov 25; 57(22): 10636-44
Koyama S et al. Growth Hormone & IGF Research 2009 Oct 21
Full Article at eMaxHealth
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A healthy weight and regular exercise may help protect men from one of the most common side effects of prostate cancer surgery, a new study suggests.