A new study finds that patients who delayed surgery by over a year had similar outcomes as those who opted for immediate treatment.

The issue is important because increasingly, experts are calling for expanded use of active surveillance in managing prostate cancer.

Since the introduction of widespread prostate cancer screening with PSA tests, a growing number of men have been diagnosed with early-stage tumors. The problem with this is that prostate cancer is often slow-growing and non-aggressive, so many men may be diagnosed with tumors that would never have caused them problems had they gone undetected.

This means that for some men, prostate cancer treatment can do more harm than good, as treatment carries a risk of side effects — including long-term urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Until now no study has demonstrated that insomnia is associated with mortality.

A new study at Penn State College of Medicine found an elevated risk of death in men with a complaint of chronic insomnia and an objectively measured short sleep duration. The results suggest that public health policy should emphasize the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of chronic insomnia.

The study conclusion are published in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP

ACCORDING to the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the most common form of prostate problems for men over the age of 50 is prostate enlargement. The disease appears to be caused by an accumulation of the male sex hormone, testosterone, in the prostate. Once in the prostate, testosterone is converted into a more potent compound called dihydrotestosterone. This is the compound that causes the prostate cells to multiply excessively causing the prostate to enlarge. Another name for prostate enlargement is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

A Sitz bath is a common form of hydrotherapy that may be used to relieve BPH symptoms. A Sitz bath helps relax the smooth muscle in the prostate, easing the constriction of the urethra and bladder neck and increasing blood circulation to the pelvic region. This procedure costs you almost nothing, takes 20 minutes, and can yield positive results in a matter of a few days.

According to a new study in Germany, biopsies taken to diagnose prostate cancer commonly cause temporary erectile dysfunction and, in some cases, lingering urinary problems. And men who are undergoing prostate biopsies — as well as those considering prostate cancer screening — should be aware of those risks. Experts say.this is especially important for men facing the prospect of multiple biopsies, since the risk of side effects appears to be related to the number of needle sticks used.

The findings, reported in the Journal of Urology, highlight the fact that even the tests for diagnosing prostate cancer can have side effects.

A new British study indicates that men’s genes make them more prone to heart diseases and strokes .

 Significant genetic variations called l-haplogroup make them 55 per cent more likely to develop coronary disease. Study authors said it was too early to tell whether the gene has a greater effect on the health of the heart than factors such as smoking and high blood pressure.

InSightec Ltd., the global leader in MR guided focused ultrasound technology announced today 31th of August 2010 that its ExAblate(R) system has been used for the first time for the treatment of prostate cancer patients.

The ExAblate prostate system has been designed to provide effective treatments while minimizing the debilitating side-effects caused by damage to functional areas of the prostate and neurovascular bundles, thus the system is expected to enable patients to return to normal life within a day or two while maintaining their quality of life. The most common are incontinence and impotence

According to new figures published by Cancer Research UK today, oesophageal cancer  - cancer of the food pipe - rates in men have risen by 50 percent over the last 25 years.

The latest figures reveal the most dramatic rise was among men in their 50s, as rates increased by 67 per cent over the same period.

It is well known that males have a higher incidence of coronary heart disease than females due, in part, to the Y chromosome they inherit from their fathers.  To investigate the role of the Y chromosome further, a team from the University of Leicester carried out research to determine whether genetic variations in the Y-chromosome affect risk for males.

As not all Y chromosomes are the same, British scientists have revealed that men with differing types of Y chromosome were at differing risk of heart disease. They tested nearly 3,000 British males, and found that those carrying the I-haplogroup variant had a 55 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease.

A research team from Keele University suggest eight key signs of cancer According to researchers, identifying these symptoms should improve the number of early diagnoses, when people have the best chance of responding to treatment.

The signs are:

<> Bleeding from the rectum (indicative of colon cancer in older age groups).
<> Iron deficiency anaemia (indicative of colon cancer).
<> A rectal examination which suggests cancer may be present (possible prostate cancer). <> Blood in the urine (indicative of cancers related to urology).
<> Coughing up blood (potential lung cancer).
<> Difficulties with swallowing (indicative of oesophageal cancer).

The symptoms predict the risk of cancer with such accuracy in certain age groups that patients should be referred to a specialist straight away unless there is a plausible explanation.

The research was published in the ‘British Journal of General Practice’.

A new report states that there is minimal evidence of any well-defined effect of diet, nutrition or supplement use on the prevention of prostate cancer based on data collected as part of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT).

The authors conclude exclusively that a high dietary intake of polyunsaturated n-6 fatty acids may increase prostate cancer risk because of their effects on inflammation and oxidative stress.