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PROSTATE CANCER NEWSLETTER - January 2009

Men who live alone fall short on prostate screening

Men at higher-than-average risk of prostate cancer are more likely to seek regular screening if they are married or live with a significant other, a new study finds.

Researchers found that among more than 2,400 men ages 40 to 79, those with a family history of prostate cancer were more likely to be regularly screened for the disease over a decade. However, a closer look at the data showed that this was only true of men who lived with a wife or partner.

In fact, higher-risk men who lived alone were less apt to seek screening than those with no family history of prostate cancer.

The American Cancer Society recommends that men with a family history of prostate cancer get screened for the disease starting at age 45. However, some studies have found that these men are no more likely to seek screening than those without a family history.

These latest findings, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, suggest that partners play a big role in getting men to submit to prostate cancer screening.

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Large prostates removed with single-keyhole surgery

An enlarged prostate due to benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, can be safely and effectively removed using a type of minimally invasive single-keyhole surgery, researchers report.

The procedure, known as single-port transvesical enucleation of the prostate, or STEP, is "indicated in patients with large (greater than 80 to 100 grams) prostate glands that require surgery, in lieu of open surgery," Dr. Mihir M. Desai from the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio told Reuters Health.

"Our preliminary data suggest that it is effective and the postoperative pain is minimal and most patients are discharged the next day," Desai said, and "there should be minimal to no effect on erectile dysfunction with our approach."

In the medical journal Urology, Desai and colleagues report their initial experience with STEP performed through a single incision in three patients suffering from bothersome BPH symptoms, which may include frequent and sometimes painful urination.

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FDA Approves Drug for Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the injectable drug degarelix, the first new drug in several years for prostate cancer.

Degarelix is intended to treat patients with advanced prostate cancer. It belongs to a class of agents called gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor inhibitors. These agents slow the growth and progression of prostate cancer by suppressing testosterone, which plays an important role in the continued growth of prostate cancer.