The men most at risk for aggressive prostate cancer - black men with a family history - are the least likely to get screening even during peak ages of risk, researchers say. Only 25 percent of black men during peak ages of 60-69 are screened us
Men who have a diet rich in soya products, beans and sunflower seeds run a much lower risk of contracting prostate cancer. New findings from Karolinska Institutet show that foods rich in phytoestrogens - pl
Want a new type of man? Maybe less brawn and more brains?A new version of the human male is a distinct possibility, given the genetic erosion of the "junk" sex-determining chromosome that makes men male.The Y-chromosome, which carries an e
A statistical review of the past medical files of more than 300 couples in Uganda, in which the female partner was HIV negative and the male was HIV positive, provides solid documentation of the protective effects of male circumcision in reducing the r
According to researchers in America and Norway, men in their fifties are happier with their sex lives than younger men, despite experiencing more problems.By using a new survey, the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BSFI), which is the firs
A team of researchers from Cleveland Clinic and the University of California, San Francisco has discovered a new virus in prostate tumors.
The inability to perform sexually can have a significant negative psychosocial impact on a man's overall health including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. New research shows that safe and effective oral treatment of erectile dysfunctio
A team at the Injury Research Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has found that being obese increases male drivers' risk of dying in a car crash, as does being very slim. However, bei
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) researcher Jann Mehmet knows the effectiveness of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in treating male infertility. Now she is putting her observations to the test in a formal clinical trial of the benefits of TCM,
Norwich Union Healthcare's 'Mr Vain' study, which surveyed over 500 men, suggests that a third of men hate their stomachs, 20% are unhappy with their legs and a quarter admit they have issues with their entire body. Aspiring to the male celebri
Date: Wednesday, 31-Jan-2007
More than ninety percent of men who receive appropriate radiation dose levels with permanent radiation seed implants to treat their prostate cancer are cured of their cancer eight years after diagnosis, according to a study released in the February 1 issue of the International Journal for Radiation Oncology - Biology - Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.Seed implants have become a widely-accepted treatment option for early stage prostate cancer because it is very effective at curing the cancer, is minimally invasive and often spares patients from side effects of other treatments, such as impotence and incontinence. The seeds, similar in size to a grain of rice, contain a radiation dose that, once implanted, delivers concentrated radiation to the prostate, sparing surrounding organs and tissue.
Doctors in this study evaluated the long-term results of permanent seed implants in men with early stage prostate cancer. Nearly 2,700 men were studied at 11 institutions in the United States over eight years. The radioactive seeds were administered with the aid of ultrasound-guided techniques to accurately place the seeds in the prostate gland. The patients received the seed implants as the sole treatment for prostate cancer with no additional chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
"This study is exciting because it shows that brachytherapy alone without additional surgery, radiation or drugs can be effective at curing early-stage prostate cancer," said Michael J. Zelefsky, M.D., lead author of the study and Chief of Brachytherapy Services at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. "These results also confirm other findings that the quality of the seed implant is a critical ingredient for achieving a better outcome."
http://www.astro.org