Weight Change and Prostate
Cancer
Obese men have a higher risk of dying from prostate cancer than men of
normal weight, according to new findings from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health
Study. Men who reported weight gain after age 18 were also found to be
at increased risk of dying from prostate cancer. These findings did not
change when age, family history of prostate cancer, race, or past screening
history were accounted for. The most likely explanation underlying the
observed association is that heavier men have hormonal alterations that
adversely affect prostate cancer progression leading to death.
A total of 287,760 male study participants were included in this analysis.
Men were between 50 and 71 years of age at the start of the study in
1995-1996, at which time they filled out questionnaires that asked about
height, weight, and other factors, as well as cancer screening practices.
The authors of this study looked at body mass index (BMI), which was
calculated from height and weight. They also examined weight change from
age 18 years to baseline (1995-1996). Approximately 29 percent of men
were classified as normal weight (BMI<25 kg/m2), 50 percent as over-
weight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/ml), and 21 percent as obese (BMI>30 kg/M2)
. During five years of follow-up, 9,986 cases of prostate cancer were
identified. During six years of follow-up, 173 prostate cancer deaths
occurred.
This study had several strengths, including the large number of men with
prostate cancer, a wide range of reported weights, and the ability to
determine if any other factors affected the association between BMI and
prostate cancer risk. These study results add to the growing evidence
that obesity increases the risk of fatal prostate cancer. Also, this
is the first prospective study to identify increasing weight after age
18 as a risk factor for prostate cancer death. The authors conclude that
maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise is not only pertinent
to reducing the risk of prostate cancer death, but is also beneficial
for many other health conditions.
These study results supplement other studies showing similar results
about the relationship of obesity to prostate cancer occurrence and death,
suggesting another reason for public concern about obesity found in the
U.S. and around the world.
By Wright, Chang Schatzkin et a!.
Cancer
February 15,2007 |
PROSTATE CANCER
PATIENT
SUPPORT
1 800 80 Us TOO
Radiation Treatment After Radical Prostatectomy Reduces
Risk of "Biochemical Progression"
Adding radiation treatment to radical prostatectomy may reduce the risk
of cancer progression among men with locally advanced prostate cancer.
Locally advanced disease is cancer that has spread beyond the prostate
capsule or has other highrisk features. It is associated with an increased
risk of cancer progression. Prostate cancer specialists use a rising
PSA level after surgery to designate "biochemical" cancer progression. In this study, researchers
randomly assigned 503 men who had undergone radical prostatectomy to no immediate
additional treatment and 502 men to immediate treatment with conventional external
beam radiation. The study participants were monitored for an average of 5 years.
The researchers found that men who underwent radiation treatment after
surgery were less likely to experience a biochemical recurrence. Among
men in the irradiated group, 74% were free of biochemical progression
during the followup period, compared to 52.6% of those in the no-additional-treatment
group. As expected the irradiated men experienced more late side effects
from treatment than the surgery-only patients. But severe side effects
were rare,
LANCET
Volume 366, Page 572
August 13-19, 2005
No Disadvantage Seen with
Intermittent Androgen Suppression for Advanced Prostate Cancer
Intermittent androgen suppression (lAS) therapy for prostate cancer does
not diminish survival nor hasten tumor progression compared with continuous
therapy, and it may confer a small advantage in quality of life, Kurt
Miller, MD, reported at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Urological
Association.
Many urologists already use intermittent therapy in the hopes of sparing
patients the adverse effects and qualityof-life reductions associated with
continuous androgen suppression.
These findings will help practicing urologists feel more comfortable with
using lAS, and suggest that intermittent therapy is a safe and viable option
for patients with stage Dl or D2 prostate cancer.
Is intermittent blockade now the standard of care? No, but we can offer
it safely to patients with advanced prostate cancer. |