prostate cancer

Technique preserves sexual function for men with prostate cancer

Men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer have typically been faced with “good” news and “bad” news. The “good” news – if there is such a thing when cancer is involved – is that most men are effectively cured of their cancer once the prostate is surgically removed. The “bad” news is that the two most notable side effects of prostate surgery – impotence and incontinence – can be very devastating. Fortunately, significant advances have been made on both fronts, and a Wisconsin urologist has helped develop new techniques to minimize both incontinence and impotence.

Red clover found to battle prostate cancer

An Australian study has found that a supplement derived from red clover causes early-stage prostate cancer cells to die in numbers five times greater than in an untreated control group. The findings may explain the mystery of why Asian men, who have pre-cancerous prostate cells at similar rates to men in Western countries, see a much smaller percentage of those cells become cancerous. One previously reported study, for example, finds that 1.8 percent of men in China develop prostate cancer versus 53.4 percent of U.S. males. These findings led researchers to consider dietary differences between the cultures, particularly isoflavones.

Evidence Lacking on Use of Routine Prostate Cancer Screening

Although screening for prostate cancer is a common part of a routine checkup for American men, a new finding issued today from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concludes there is insufficient scientific evidence to promote routine screening for all men and inconclusive evidence that early detection improves health outcomes. The finding is published in the December 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.