Latest Cancer News Sun 01/22/2006

Latest Cancer News Sun 01/22/2006

Kosovo president dies of cancer (NorthJersey.com)

PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro - Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova died Saturday, his spokesman said. The 61-year-old Rugova had been suffering from lung cancer.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 17:54:25 GMT

Film Shows Lives Changed: Director Chronicles How Testing Positive for Cancer Gene Affects Women (RedNova)

By Carol Biliczky, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio Jan. 22--Linda Pedraza knew the forecast was dark. Cancer had followed her family for generations. So it was no surprise when she tested positive for the cancer gene BRCA1.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:13:09 GMT

The pros and cons of prostate cancer screening tests (Manila Bulletin)

I am 53 years old and during my last annual checkup, our company physician has told me that prostate cancer is on the rise and he advised me to undergo PSA testing for prostate cancer every year. Why is prostate cancer on the rise? Does this have something to do with diet or lifestyle of modern men?

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:45:36 GMT

Scientists Close in on 'Invisible' Cancer Cure (RedNova)

By Jane Bradley SCIENTISTS in the Capital have come a step closer to developing breakthrough cancer drugs with far fewer side effects than current treatments.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:13:11 GMT

Riverbanks koala has terminal cancer (The State)

The only male koala at Riverbanks Zoo has terminal cancer, and all zoo officials can do is try to make the most of his final days.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 10:56:24 GMT

5 dogs excel at sniffing out cancer (Detroit News)

In the small world of people who train dogs to sniff cancer, a little-known Northern California clinic has made a big claim: that it has trained five dogs -- three Labradors and two Portuguese water dogs -- to detect lung cancer in the breath of cancer sufferers with 99 percent accuracy.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 09:11:33 GMT

Horne battling pancreatic cancer (The Columbus Dispatch)

NEW YORK -- Mezzosoprano Marilyn Horne has localized pancreatic cancer and is undergoing treatment that offers an excellent chance for a full recovery, her manager said last week.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 13:32:43 GMT

Cancer survivor meets her marathon goal (Silver City Sun-News)

When Las Crucen Elizabeth Lopez was diagnosed with thyroid cancer five years ago, perhaps the furthest idea from her mind was running a marathon. But after her final radiation treatment last year, the 30-year-old, who first began running seven years ago, placed the challenge on her radar screen.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 12:11:38 GMT

Call to make cancer notifiable (News 24 South Africa)

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang is to discuss the possibility of making cancer a notifiable disease.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:35:49 GMT

Kosovo's president dies of lung cancer (Miami Herald)

Ibrahim Rugova, the president of Kosovo who embodied the province's drive to break away from Serbia, died of lung cancer Saturday, just days before talks were set to begin on Kosovo's future status and possible independence.

Published: on Sun, 22 Jan 2006 08:23:44 GMT

What you need to know about prostate cancer ... - Part V

What you need to know about prostate cancer ... - Part V

What screening tests are available?

Whether or not men should be screened for prostate cancer is an intensely debated issue. We know that prostate cancer usually grows very slowly, so intuitively it would make sense that we could reduce mortality from prostate cancer by picking it up early so it could be treated before it spreads. However, in order for a screening test to be fully embraced, we need to prove that picking up a disease early actually does help reduce the number of deaths. Right now, there is no good data showing that screening for prostate cancer reduces deaths from prostate cancer. There are currently very large trials on-going to see which populations of men will benefit most.

Currently, there are two methods that physicians use to screen for prostate cancer. One of them is called a digital rectal exam (DRE). A digital rectal exam is done in your primary care physician's office. Because your prostate is so close to your rectum, your doctor can feel it by inserting a gloved, lubricated finger into your anus. Your doctor can feel if there are lumps, asymmetries, or if your prostate is enlarged. A digital rectal exam is uncomfortable, but not painful. It is a useful test, but it is not perfect because some small cancers can be missed and only the bottom and sides of the prostate can be examined in this manner. Although it isn't a perfect test, it becomes more useful when it is combined with another test called a PSA.

A PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is a blood test that looks for a protein that the prostate makes. Normal prostate tissue makes a little bit of PSA, but prostate cancer usually makes much more. By checking to see if your PSA is elevated, your doctor can screen you for prostate cancer. The PSA test isn't perfect either, because some tumors won't elevate the PSA and some other processes (like benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis) can cause it to be falsely elevated. However, the higher your PSA is, the more likely the elevation is caused by a prostate cancer. The cut-off that your doctor usually uses is 4.0 ng/ml, meaning that anything below 4.0 ng/ml is normal and anything above it is abnormal. If your PSA is elevated, or you have an abnormal digital rectal exam, then you need to get further evaluation; however, this doesn't necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer. The only way to know for sure whether or not you have cancer is to get a sample of your prostate from a biopsy.

Both a digital rectal exam and a PSA are simple, non-invasive tests. Most physicians recommend screening for prostate cancer with these tests in men with a life expectance of 10 years or more. However, some doctors don't think screening for prostate cancer is worth doing. One of the downsides is that you may go through an extensive workup and treatment for a disease that never would have shortened your life. We know that some prostate cancers are very slow growing (often taking more than 10 years to become significant), so if your life expectancy is less than 10 years it may not be worthwhile to go through the process of screening, biopsy and treatment. The treatment options for prostate cancer are not completely benign, and all of them have the potential for side effects. However, it is difficult for physicians to determine which prostate cancers will progress versus those that will remain indolent in any individual patient. Another argument against prostate cancer screening is that it has never been proven to save lives in studies of large populations. However, many doctors think that newer treatments for early stage prostate cancers may make this argument obsolete. Data from large trials currently being carried out should help to settle this argument in the near future.

The American Cancer Society and the American Urological Society recommend regular prostate cancer screening. The American Cancer Society recommends that men start getting annual PSAs and digital rectal exams starting at age 50, unless they are high risk (meaning they have a family history of prostate cancer or are African-American), who should begin screening at age 45. However, they mention that screening should only be carried out if your life expectancy is greater than 10 years, so men in their 80s and 90s (especially if they have other serious medical problems) should probably not be screened. The most important thing is to discuss the issue with your doctor. Decisions about screening should be individualized and reached after hearing about the potential benefits and harms of screening, biopsy and treatment.

Learn more about Prostate Cancer on CancerBasics.info ...

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