|
What are the latest therapies?
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in the United States, the second leading cause of death from cancer
among U.S. men, and the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. The number of new cases of prostate cancer, now
estimated at more than 220,000 per year, is expected to increase to more than 380,000 by 2025 because of the aging male population.
The incidence of prostate cancer and the rate of death due to the disease increase exponentially with age. The other major
risk factors for prostate cancer include a family history of prostate cancer, black race, and a high-fat diet. There is no
proven method of prevention. Finasteride inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone by the enzyme 5a-
reductase, reducing the level of dihydrotestosterone, the most active androgen in the prostate, by 90 percent.
Approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an oral medication for the treatment of symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia,
finasteride shrinks the prostate by 20 to 30% and improves urinary flow rates and symptom scores.
In long-term, placebo- controlled trials, finasteride has significantly reduced the risk of acute urinary retention and
the need for surgical intervention for benign prostatic hyperplasia from about 10 percent to 5 percent. Because of its beneficial
effect on benign prostatic hyperplasia, finasteride was tested, in short-term, placebo-controlled trials, as a treatment for
prostate cancer, but it had little effect, reducing serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) slightly but effecting
no commensurate change in the measurable tumor burden.
Researchers have been awarded $4.7 million to continue research in Clinical trials of a new treatment for advanced prostate
cancer, which combines the patient's own tumour cells with their white blood cells, trials are expected to begin in the next
12 months (2004). Read the complete story in our review available at the bottom of the page.
Zometa is the first and only bisphosphonate demonstrating efficacy across a broad range of solid tumors. Zometa (zoledronic
acid) is for the prevention of skeletal related events in patients with advanced malignancies involving bone.
What is the Prostate?
The prostate is a gland, normally the size of a walnut, that is found in the male pelvis. It is located directly under
the bladder, and surrounds a portion of the tube draining the bladder, called the "urethra". It is right in front
of the lower rectum, and thus can be felt ("palpated") with an examining finger ("digital exam") inserted
into the rectum. The prostate has 5 distinct portions, or "lobes", including "anterior" and "median",
but the examining finger palpates only the "posterior" lobe and right and left "lateral" lobes. The prostate
manufactures "prostatic fluid", a clear high-sugar substance, which mixes with semen to activate it. Coming off
the prostate are two "wing-shaped" sacs, called"seminal vesicles", which store semen for injection into
the urethra, to be mixed with prostatic fluid, during ejaculation. The prostate is surrounded by a tough, fibrous "capsule."
It is fed blood by pelvic arteries ("internal iliac") and it drains to similarly named veins. A network of "lymphatic
channels" run through and around the prostate, collecting blood serum to purify it. These channels lead to "lymph
nodes" which are glands filled with White Blood Cells that filter the blood, destroying germs. The lymph nodes are named
as groups, and connected to each other so that their filtrate can eventually be returned to the bloodstream. Lymph channels
can act as conduits for spread of infections or cancers, and usually swell when they capture these. Pelvic Lymph node groups
pertinent to the prostate include the peri-prostatic, obturator, hypogastic, sacral and common iliac "nodes." Once
prostate cancer or infection has gone to local lymph nodes, it is not longer considered to be confined to the prostate (but
may still be confined to the pelvis).A bundle of nerves ("neurovascular bundle") lies in the pelvis on either side
of the prostate. If these area are damaged, it will impair a man's ability to get an erection and ejaculate, possibly causing
complete impotence.
Back to Top
Select Page Below
For God so loved the world...
|
