Research presented at 2011 GU Cancers Symposium highlights advances in treatment of prostate cancer
2011-02-17
(Press-News.org) ALEXANDRIA, Va. – New studies on the screening and treatment of genitourinary cancers were released today in advance of the fourth annual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, being held February 17-19, 2011, at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida.
The results of three studies were highlighted in a media presscast (press briefing via live webcast):
Large screening study shows reduced risk of prostate cancer death for men with low initial PSAs: A large prostate cancer screening study of middle-aged and elderly men showed that an initial Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) score of 3.0 ng/ml appears to be an appropriate minimum cut-off level to determine the need for biopsy. Few men in the study with low first-time PSAs below 3.0 developed prostate cancer and died from the disease, and the findings may help better target testing for those at risk.
Proficiency in robotic-assisted prostate surgery requires experienced specialists: In a study to determine the surgical learning curve for robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) operations, a retrospective analysis of the results of nearly 3,800 procedures showed that it took more than 1,600 prostate cancer surgeries for surgeons to become proficient at the RALP procedure and be able to remove the cancerous prostate consistently with its edges clear of cancer.
Dutasteride helps slow early-stage prostate cancer growth: A new study has shown that a drug commonly used to treat men with an enlarged prostate gland – dutasteride (Avodart) – may also slow the growth of early-stage prostate cancer among men participating in "active surveillance" of their disease.
"While the use of PSA in determining which men should have biopsies for suspected prostate cancer has sometimes been controversial, the results of a study presented today provide important new insights on the value of PSA in helping practitioners make treatment decisions," said Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD, Chair and Medical Director of the Developmental Therapeutics Committee of US Oncology, who moderated today's presscast. "Other significant studies presented today show the potential of an already commonly used prostate drug to slow cancer growth. And a second evaluates the expertise required to carry out often difficult surgical procedures."
Genitourinary cancers include those of the prostate, kidney, bladder and testis, as well as less common cancers such as those of the penis, ureters and other urinary organs. In 2010, more than 358,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with genitourinary cancers and more than 61,000 died of these diseases. The most common genitourinary cancer is prostate cancer, which was diagnosed in nearly 218,000 men in the United States in 2010 and claimed more than 32,000 lives.*
INFORMATION:
The Genitourinary Cancers Symposium is co-sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO).
More information for media: www.asco.org/GUpresskit11
Relevant Links on Cancer.Net (http://www.cancer.net), the oncologist-approved cancer information website from the American Society of Clinical Oncology:
2011 GU Cancers Symposium Cancer Advances
(http://www.cancer.net/patient/Publications+and+Resources/Cancer+Advances/News+for+Patients+from+ASCO+Symposia)
2011 GU Cancers Symposium Podcast
(http://www.cancer.net/patient/Multimedia/Cancer.Net+Podcasts)
Cancer.Net Guide to Prostate Cancer
(http://www.cancer.net/prostate)
ASCO Answers – Prostate Cancer
(http://www.cancer.net/patient/ASCO Resources/ASCO Answers/ASCO_Answers_Prostate.pdf)
ASCO Answers – Prostate Cancer (Spanish)
(http://www.cancer.net/patient/Publications and Resources/ASCO Answers/ASCO_Answers_Prostate_ESP.pdf)
Cancer Screening
(http://www.cancer.net/patient/All+About+Cancer/Risk+Factors+and+Prevention/Cancer+Screening)
Talking With the Doctor About PSA Screening
(http://www.cancer.net/patient/All+About+Cancer/Cancer.Net+Feature+Articles/Cancer+Screening+and+Prevention/ASCO+Expert+Corner:+Talking+With+the+Doctor+About+PSA+Screening)
Understanding Cancer Surgery
(http://www.cancer.net/patient/All+About+Cancer/Cancer.Net+Feature+Articles/Treatments%2C+Tests%2C+and+Procedures/Understanding+Cancer+Surgery)
Basics of Cancer Surgery: Video with Robert Sticca, MD
(http://www.cancer.net/patient/Multimedia/Cancer.Net+Videos/Cancer+Basics/Basics+of+Cancer+Surgery+with+Robert+Sticca,+MD)
Click the link below to view the full release and abstracts:
http://www.asco.org/ASCOv2/Department Content/Communications/Downloads/GU 2011 Research Release_FINAL.pdf
*American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts and Figures 2010
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-02-17
Patients newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, and their families, need better guidance from their physicians on how to plan for the patient's progressive loss of ability to handle finances, according to a study led by a physician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.
"When a patient is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, the chance that their physician will discuss advance planning for finances is miniscule," said lead author Eric Widera, MD, a geriatrician at SFVAMC. "And yet when family ...
2011-02-17
Singapore - Nantes (France) – February 15, 2011 (SGT) - The Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), an institute of the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and VIVALIS (NYSE Euronext: VLS), a French biopharmaceutical company, announced today the discovery of two new fully human monoclonal antibodies which could battle Chikungunya, a disease that currently has no available vaccine or specific treatment. The international team of scientists, coordinated by Dr Lucile Warter of SIgN, has published their groundbreaking discovery in the Journal of Immunology.
Chikungunya ...
2011-02-17
In fact, according to new research from Johns Hopkins, the fusion of muscle cells is a power struggle that involves a smaller mobile antagonist that points at, pokes and finally pushes into its larger, stationary partner using a newly identified finger-like projection.
In a report published Nov. 29 in the Journal of Cell Biology, the researchers described experiments using fruit fly embryos to identify an invasive projection propelled by the rapid elongation of actin filaments as the main player in the cellular power struggle.
"We found that two muscle cells don't simply ...
2011-02-17
Seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing, a study by Johns Hopkins and National Institute on Aging researchers suggests. The findings, the researchers say, could lead to new ways to combat dementia, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide and carries heavy societal burdens.
Although the reason for the link between the two conditions is unknown, the investigators suggest that a common pathology may underlie both or that the strain of decoding sounds over the years may overwhelm ...
2011-02-17
In an opinion piece published Feb. 10 in the journal Science, a team of scholars led by a Johns Hopkins bioethicist urges the scientific community to act collectively to stem the negative effects of the patenting and privatizing of stem cell lines, data and pioneering technologies. This means grappling with the ambiguity of several fundamental distinctions typically made in ethics, law and common practice, the experts insist.
The team, led by Debra Mathews, Ph.D., M.A., of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, says failures to properly manage the widespread ...
2011-02-17
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, researchers have found that blue-green algae may be responsible for producing an estrogen-like compound in the environment which could disrupt the normal activity of reproductive hormones and adversely affect fish, plants and human health. Previously, human activities were thought solely responsible for producing these impacts.
Theodore Henry, an adjunct professor for UT Knoxville's Center for Environmental Biotechnology and faculty at the University of Plymouth, and his colleagues looked into blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, and ...
2011-02-17
STANFORD, Calif. — A recently discovered biomarker could help doctors diagnose a common type of knee injury, according to a new study.
A team of researchers led by Gaetano Scuderi, MD, clinical assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and an orthopaedic surgeon at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, has confirmed that a particular protein complex appears in patients with painful meniscal tears. The finding, to be published Feb. 16 in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, could be used to prevent needless surgery and to save billions ...
2011-02-17
A 22-year study of abnormally short individuals suggests that growth-stunting mutations also may stunt two of humanity's worst diseases.
Published in Science Translational Medicine, part of the Science family of journals, the study raises the prospect of achieving similar protection in full-grown adults by other means, such as pharmaceuticals or controlled diets.
The international study team, led by cell biologist Valter Longo of the University of Southern California and Ecuadorian endocrinologist Jaime Guevara-Aguirre, followed a remote community on the slopes of the ...
2011-02-17
Messier 78 is a fine example of a reflection nebula. The ultraviolet radiation from the stars that illuminate it is not intense enough to ionise the gas to make it glow — its dust particles simply reflect the starlight that falls on them. Despite this, Messier 78 can easily be observed with a small telescope, being one of the brightest reflection nebulae in the sky. It lies about 1350 light-years away in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter) and can be found northeast of the easternmost star of Orion's belt.
This new image of Messier 78 from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope ...
2011-02-17
A high proportion of patients with high blood pressure are failing to take their medication properly and would benefit clinically from a course of 'adherence therapy', according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
High blood pressure – or hypertension – is one of the major cardiovascular diseases worldwide. It leads to stroke and heart disease and costs more than $300 billion each year. Around a quarter of the adult population is affected – including 10 million people in the UK.
Around half of patients with hypertension fail to reduce their blood ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Research presented at 2011 GU Cancers Symposium highlights advances in treatment of prostate cancer
