According to a new study from UT Southwestern Medical Center, a dutasteride-tamsulosin combination prescribed for enlarged prostate yielded better results than either of the medicines alone.
The study compared treatments for three groups of study participants with enlarged prostates over four years. Investigation including more than 4,800 men, is one of the first to compare single and combo medication regimens in such a large group.

Researchers found the combination therapy to be superior at reducing risk of BPH progression as the two medications joined forces in terms of symptom control. On the strengths of both dutasteride and tamsulosin, participants reported fewer symptoms, and researchers observed a 25 percent reduction in prostate volume

The study findings are published in a recent issue of the journal European Urology.

Gene A. Crayton, the National President of Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) praised Congressional leaders for making Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare funding an advance appropriation.

According to his opinion, in the last two years VA has received record levels of funding. but he urged that much more needs to be done for US nation’s veterans with disabilities. It is important to ensure that these VA resources and new programs are used wisely and where they are most needed.

According to Edward Partridge, M.D., president-elect of the American Cancer Society (ACS) National Board of Directors and director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center, men who undergo prostate-cancer screening should discuss with a doctor the uncertainties, risks and benefits of the test before it is performed.

It is important for men to talk openly and honestly with a health-care provider about the pros and cons of these tests to be in a better position to understand the results.

Until new screening tools are available, it is crucial for care providers and cancer-prevention program directors give men the opportunity to decide whether they wish to pursue early detection for this disease.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) reiterated its position that PSA screening remains a valuable tool, in combination with other tools, for identifying potential prostate disease, including cancer. They did that in responding to continued debate over PSA screening, and today’s American Cancer Society statement. PCF is also calling for more reasoned debate that empowers patients and their physicians and improves patients’ understanding of PSA data, prostate cancer and treatment options. According to Prostate Cancer Foundation, every man has the right to know if he has cancer and to make informed decisions with his urologist. This right dialog between patients, family members and urologists requires to be based on the pros and cons of screening and treatment options. [ continue reading ]

Members of America’s Prostate Cancer Organizations (APCO) suggest that the recent issuance of yet another set of new guidelines on screening for prostate cancer is only adding to the confusion most men already feel about whether they should or shouldn’t be tested for the most common form of cancer in American men.

APCO, which seek to act in the best interests of men at risk for prostate cancer and those already diagnosed with this disease, consider that it is very time that the various groups work together to issue one, simple guidance document for men and their families and another for the primary care community. Such guidance should represent a consensus position of the U.S. professional societies and other stakeholders on the risks and benefits of screening for prostate cancer, as opposed to the viewpoints of selected groups of specialists.

A new study at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center suggests robotic surgical technology with its three-dimensional, high-definition view gives surgeons the sensation of touch, even as they operate from a remote console. The report describes the phenomenon, called intersensory integration, and reports that surgical outcomes for prostate cancer surgery using minimally invasive robotic technology compare favorably with traditional invasive surgery.

In recent years, robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) has become a popular surgical method for treating prostate cancer because it is less invasive than traditional surgery. No studies have shown that RALP leads to worse outcomes, but doctors have wondered whether this was the case because surgeons often use their fingers to feel the prostate during traditional surgery to refine how much they cut to achieve the best outcome.

The study appearing in the March issue of British Journal of Urology International is the first to show that a lack of tactile feedback during robotic surgery does not adversely impact outcomes in patients with prostate cancer. It also identified various visual cues that surgeons can use to improve clinical outcomes.

A recent study at B.C. Cancer Agency, Canada, aimed to evaluate the tolerability and effect of a daily soy beverage in prostate cancer patients with biochemical failure after radiotherapy.

Investigators instructed patients with rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after radical radiation for prostate cancer to consume 500 ml of soy beverage daily for 6 months.

The authors found that, over a period of 6 months, daily consumption of a soy beverage was well tolerated and was associated with a declining trend in PSA level. Over 40 percent of men did appear to benefit from the soy diet, with PSA levels either falling buy a small amount or at least rising less slowly over time.

According to a new study at University of California, San Diego, older men with high levels of the hormone IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor 1) are at increased risk of cancer death, independent of age, lifestyle and cancer history.

IGF-I is a protein hormone. It’s structure is similar to insulin and is regulated in the body by growth hormone. Levels of growth hormone and IGF-I decline progressively with age in both men and women and this drop is thought to be related to deteriorating health conditions found with advanced age. In an attempt to combat aging some people use growth hormone as its actions elevate IGF-1. However, this study showed that older men who had higher levels of IGF-I were more likely to die from a cancer-related cause in the following 18 years than men with lower levels.

The study was accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

A recent survey has revealed rhat a fifth of men in at-risk age groups who ask their general practitioner for a test used in the diagnosis of prostate cancer have their requests turned down. The same test revealed that seven out of 10 men are unaware they even have the right to ask for a PSA blood test, which for some could be a lifesaver.

The results also showed that men from less affluent backgrounds were more likely to be uninformed about the test. They were three times less likely to request a PSA blood reading than men from higher socio-economic groups.

According to The Prostate Cancer Charity, this situation is completely unacceptable as for many men, undergoing a PSA test could expose a slow growing cancer which may never cause a problem - even without treatment. At the same time, for men with an aggressive cancer, who have no symptoms of the disease, the test may be the only way the disease will be identified at a time when effective treatment can be offered.

Researchers at Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Vanderbilt University have determined that regular use of aspirin, acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk of hearing loss in men, particularly in younger men, below age 60.

Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder in the US, afflicting over 36 million people. Not only is hearing loss highly prevalent among the elderly, but approximately one third of those aged 40-49 years already suffer from hearing loss. Even mild hearing loss can compromise the ability to understand speech in the presence of background noise or multiple speakers, leading to social isolation, depression, and poorer quality of life.

Rhe study was published in the March 2010 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.