Can Eating Fish Cause Prostate Cancer?

It seems that there are a lot of different risk factors for getting prostate cancer. Among some of the most popular are: genetic predisposition, being of African descent, eating red meat, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, eating dairy products and having too many different sex partners. (If you are a Black male with a lot of sex partners I'd cut back on my dairy.)

Just when it seems like there's not much left that's tasty or fun, the American Journal of Epidemiology has added one more to the list. Men who eat fish are 2.5 times more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer. Admittedly, giving up fish isn't as tough as most of the other things on the above list, but we always thought fish was good for us. Isn't it supposed to be brain food or something?

Researchers from Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center did a prostate cancer study on 19,000 men age 55 and up. After a few years they tested a subset of 3,000 of them and discovered that the men who had developed an aggressive form of prostate cancer also had the highest levels of DHA (an omega 3 fatty acid). This was shocking to them in that they expected a higher level of omega 3 might even protect against cancer. If it didn't prevent cancer they certainly didn't expect it to cause cancer. The men with the highest levels of DHA had a much higher incidence of this disease. Not only did they have prostate cancer but an aggressive form of it. The kind that kills you quickly. It was also interesting to note that very few of the subjects took omega 3 supplements. Most of them got it from eating fish.

If you Google "Omega 3 prostate cancer fish" it's all over the web. Eating fish increases your risk of getting an aggressive form of prostate cancer by a significant amount. The results are in. The good news is that fish still make excellent fertilizer in your garden.

This is a good time to make a disclaimer. I'm not a doctor. It's been so long since I've gotten my degree in Biology that I'm probably not even a good scientist. I'm a Caveman. However, something here seemed fishy to me. I do know that cavemen ate fish. To suddenly find out that fish are bad for us just seems counter-intuitive, so I did a little digging.

This study didn't start out to be about omega 3 at all. The omega 3 findings were anecdotal. It was an experiment sponsored by a major drug company that sells finasteride. Finasteride is a drug that is synthesized from progestrone (a female hormone) that shrinks enlarged prostates and promotes hair growth on aging balding men. The drug company sponsored this study in the hopes that their drug might also prevent prostate cancer. How cool would that be? A pill so that you don't have to get up at night to pee, prevents prostate cancer and even grows your hair back.

All 19,000 men at the beginning of this study and all 3,000 that were eventually tested for prostate cancer had been taking finasteride. As a Caveman, here is what I would draw as a conclusion from this study: Most of them could sleep through the night without getting up to urinate, most were hairier, a few that ate fish developed aggressive prostate cancer.
I think the only logical conclusion one can draw from this study is that it isn't a good idea for men to eat both fish and finasterides.
Can Eating Fish Cause Prostate Cancer?

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Prostate Health and You!

There is plenty of awareness for cancers and other diseases, but not too often do people hear about the prostate gland in males. Second only to lung cancer, prostate cancer is projected to affect 1 of every 6 American men during their lifetime. Prostate cancer researchers are working to identify and characterize different aspects of the disease to potentially diagnose and refine their treatment methods. Daily Prostate Defense is a fairly new product on the market that has blended a completely organic formula that has been approved by USDA.

Before we go into details about prostate defense, let us first discuss what the prostate is for those who may not know. By definition, "The prostate gland is a gland in male mammals that surrounds the neck of the bladder and urethra and secretes a liquid constituent of the semen." The prostate has many functions and plays a very important role in the reproduction process. One interesting fact is that nearly a third of the fluid in semen is produced by the prostate gland. With the contractions that occur during orgasm, the prostate also helps keep sperm urine-free by pinching a duct to the bladder. Some of these functions may be inhibited by the enlargement of the prostate.

One of the ingredients within Daily Prostate Defense is Organic Saw Palmetto powder. Saw Palmetto has been known world wide for some time, and until recently, has been used to treat a variety of medical issues inside and out of the laboratory. Findings have shown that using saw palmetto relieves many of the symptoms of enlarged prostate including nighttime urination, frequent urination and overall quality of life. Researchers suggest that the use of saw palmetto may have something to do with the aid of fighting inflammation, boosting the strength of the urine stream, allowing more-complete emptying of the ladder, and reducing the number of nighttime trips to the bathroom.
Another notable ingredient would be the organic tomato powder. Researchers are also doing studies on the effectiveness certain forms of tomatoes have on preventing prostate cancer. The nutrients that give tomatoes their deep red color offer powerful antioxidant protection. The University of Naples carried out a lab study on mice to analyze cancer fighting features of tomatoes. What they found was the mice that had included ten percent tomato powder showed slow progression of the disease. In addition, those mice had also shown signs of having lesser rates of prostate cancer.

Daily Prostate Defense is an excellent choice to add to any male dietary regimen. With a strictly vegan formula, there is a 100% guarantee to have zero preservatives to ensure the highest quality possible. These compounds work in congruence to provide perfectly natural nutritional support for the prostate and urinary tract system.
Prostate Health and You!

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Prostate Cancer May Require Prostate Surgery

What is a prostate? A prostate is a gland in men that surrounds the neck of the bladder and the proximal part of the urethra. This gland produces a fluid that becomes part of semen. A prostate gland is a firm structure normally about the size of a chestnut. It is located in the pelvic cavity, below the pubis and the rectum. It can usually be felt by examination when enlarged. Therefore, it is important that men be checked by their doctor on a regular basis and knows what to look for should it become abnormal.

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer among men in America. It has also been known to grow very slowly in the body. Most of the time it is found in men over 60 and generally in the late stages of the disease. Prostate cancer generally doesn't have any symptoms until it is in the late stages. It has been seen in men in their 30's and 40's and was found that they had a family history of the disease. Although studies have not shown exactly what causes prostate cancer, experts generally agree that diet contributes to the disease. Prostate screening is very important, especially if you have a family history of the disease. Normally the tests include digital rectal exam, blood testing, prostate ultrasound, CAT scans, or MRI's. Your doctor will decide which test would be more beneficial among your circumstances.

There are many different Prostate Cancer Treatments available such as chemotherapy, cryotherapy, hormone therapy, and prostate surgery. Based on the size and stage of the cancer, you and your doctor will need to decide which would be the best prostate cancer treatment option.
Basically, chemotherapy is prescribed in cases of recurrent or advanced prostate cancer that has not responded to hormone treatment. Cryotherapy, involves freezing areas if the prostate. However, studies have not shown the long-term effectiveness. If surgery is decided upon there are a couple of options for this prostate treatment. The first would be a laparoscopic prostate surgery, which is minimally invasive. This surgery is performed with the help of a small camera that will be inserted to help the surgeon to remove part of the prostate. However, men younger than the age of 75 and expected to live at least 10 more years get a Radical Prostatectomy. This procedure surgically removes the entire prostate and typically cures prostate cancer in men whose cancer is limited to the prostate alone.
 Prostate Cancer May Require Prostate Surgery

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Uncover the Truth Behind Prostate Biopsy Symptoms

Prostate Cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Doctors may require prostate screening even if there is no symptoms particularly for men aged 40 and above. On the other hand, numerous specialists disagree about the efficiency of early screening.

Based on theories, screening presents the benefit of detecting prostate cancer while it is still in its early stage. Although the prostate cancer is a slow developing cancer, it frequently never causes symptom or death. Early detection of prostate cancer may also be difficult and may not actually cause harm or death.

There are instances where treating such a cancer may prove to generate more harm than leaving the cancer undetected and untreated. The benefits of early screening are not always apparent. There are times that the prostate biopsies outweigh the harm from unneeded diagnosis and tests. As a downside, screening generally indicates the chance of prostate cancer in people without the ailment.

Prostate biopsy is an invasive procedure. It involves the use of scalpels, needles and other instruments that will help the doctor remove a small piece of tissue from a suspected growth in the prostate gland for examination and evaluation.

Tissue injury occurs due to the excision in the prostate to extract the needed tissue. One normal side effect from this is bleeding. A lot of men who underwent prostate biopsy find blood in their semen, urine and sometimes in the stool. This bleeding can last for weeks, months and sometimes up to 1 year. Another common side effect is urinary incontinence or the inability to hold urine in the bladder. Urinary retention and urine dribbling are also common side effects after the procedure.

Other people also complain issues with defecations since the prostate gland is near the rectum. It is advised not to bowel strain after the procedure as it may induce pain. Pain and discomfort are also frequent side effect of prostate biopsy. Heavy pressure lifting and vigorous activities are contraindicated after the procedure to prevent an increase in pressure and discomfort. Minimal ambulation or walking is recommended. Sexual activities are also contraindicated after the procedure for several weeks or months. Erection is difficult because of the damage in the nearby tissues.
Let us remember that prostate biopsy is an invasive surgery. Side effects always occur after this procedure. There are some clients that are able to deal with the issues after the procedure, however, some were not able to do so. If I were in your position, I would think about making use of other non-invasive procedure for prostate cancer detection.
Uncover the Truth Behind Prostate Biopsy Symptoms

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An Advanced Treatment for Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients

Provenge (sipuleucel-T) manufactured by Dendreon corporation is the new therapeutic immunotherapy for prostate cancer patients with an advance metastatic tumor. The therapy was approved last April 29, 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowing 12 manufacturing facilities in New Jersey to operate. During the annual meeting of the Genitourinary American Society of the Clinical Oncology on 2010, Doctor Philip Kantoff said that the study is considered to be the first large controlled clinical trial that showed an immune system based therapy that extended the lives of cancer patients. Recently, Dendreon's 36 manufacturing facilities in New Jersey were approved by the U.S. FDA allowing the company to increase Provenge production supply supporting the 12 manufacturing facilities that was already been approved last April of 2010.

Provenge is an autologous type of cellular immunotherapy that halts and delays prostatic tumor growth by targeting prostatic tumor antigens. This type of immunotherapy is designed to improve the prognosis and quality life of patients with advance and recurrent prostate cancer who are resistant to hormone therapy as well as to other treatment modalities. This therapy is believed to prolong the survival rates of metastatic prostate cancer patients. According to Dr. Daniel George, director of the Genitourinary Oncology, Provenge has the largest reported survival benefits in patients with asymptomatic (no symptoms) or the minimally symptomatic metastatic prostate cancer.

Provenge therapy works by collecting the patient's white blood cells and expose them with a prostate specific antigen known as prostatic acid phosphatase. These cells are incubated with the antigen that is designed to attack the prostate cancer when injected back to the patient. As it is inside the body of the patient, the antigen instructs the immune system to attack and destroy the cancer cells. This therapy is designed to induce an immune response against prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP); an antigen expressed in most prostate cancers. Provenge therapy is the first among the new class of therapeutic therapies that belong to an autologous cellular immunotherapy; it is a personalized type of immunotherapy treatment that makes use of the white blood cells of each patient. According to the Dana Farber cancer institute investigators, Provenge therapy marks the beginning of the new era in which patient's own immune systems become part of the therapeutic arsenal against cancer.

Men who are not responding to hormonal therapies and who have metastatic prostate cancer as well as the patients who experience little or no cancer-related pain having efficient organ functioning are candidates for the therapy. Provenge is administered through infusion via the intravenous veins of a person. It is given at three doses having two weeks range of interval. 512 patients with advanced metastatic prostate cancer as well as the patients who were resistant to hormone therapy were enrolled to the clinical study of phase 3 trial conducted at the cancer treatment centers. Randomly, patients were given with Provenge and an inactive placebo. Compared to the patients who received the placebo pills, Provenge extended the patient's median survival by 4.1 months and has reduced the overall death rate by 22.5 percent. According to Dr. Mitchell Gold the president of Dendreon Corporation, the significant 4.1 month median survival benefit Provenge demonstrated a representation of a major milestone in the treatment of the metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer.

The common adverse reactions reported during the safety evaluation of 601 patients who underwent the Provenge treatment or the leukapheresis (extraction and incubation of white blood cells) procedure were fatigue, chills, fever, back pain, nausea, headache and joint ache. Critical adverse reactions that were reported in patients receiving Provenge include acute infusion reactions and cerebrovascular events e.g. stroke. Indications of infusion reactions include chills, difficulty of breathing, dizziness, hypertension and vomiting. The majority of the adverse reactions were mild to moderate in severity.
According to Dr. David Penson, a professor of the Urologic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the approval of Provenge represents significant advancement in the care of men with advanced prostate cancer. Provenge now offers new treatment of choice among the few treatment options available. "The approval of Provenge, as the first autologous cellular immunotherapy, represents a new significant scientific and clinical advancement for the treatment of prostate cancer," said Philip Kantoff, Medical Doctor and Chief of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Chief of Clinical Research Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
An Advanced Treatment for Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients

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Hormone Therapy Plus Radiation Therapy Produce Better Survival Outcomes

Recently, there has been numerous study reports published that address the benefits of Hormone therapy combined with Radiation therapy in treating prostate cancer. This article wishes to provide readers some helpful updates with regards to the new standard treatment for prostate cancer.
In 1995 to 2005, a randomized study was jointly conducted by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the United Kingdom Medical Research Council and the Southwest Oncology Group in the United States. 1,205 men with high risk prostate cancer in the United States, Canada and in United Kingdom were part of the study. These men were assigned with either receiving hormone therapy alone or a combined hormone therapy (with external beam radiation treatment). Follow ups were made among patients for an average of at least 6 years and findings from this study presents that adding radiation therapy significantly reduced the risk of death among the study group given with the combined therapy.
In another study report published by Bolla et al from an EORTC study in 1997 showed an increase in the probability of a progression-free and overall survival of European patients diagnosed with a locally advance prostate cancer high risk (T1-2 and T3-4NO-1MO) tumors. Patients who were given external beam radiation therapy plus an adjuvant hormonal therapy for three years showed an increase in survival rates compared to the patients who received external beam radiation therapy alone. Additional data from the American studies show similar results. According to this study, two to three years of hormone therapy combined with radiotherapy improves survival among patients but is accompanied by a number of adverse effects such as impotence, hot flashes and risk of acquiring heart attacks.
Horwitz et al reported a US study (RTOG 92-02) in 2008 that radiotherapy plus extended adjuvant hormone therapy for 28 months increased the probability of the disease-free survival and disease-specific survival rates among its study group. The group who received a combined therapy obtained a lower probability of a local progression of the prostate tumor and biochemical failure rates were also lowered. The combined therapy prevented further metastasis (spread) among its study group compared to the radiation therapy group. Overall the survival rates in this study showed an increase rates among patients with a pre-treatment Gleason score of 8-10 with no metastasis to the lymph node or the pelvis with a PSA level of 150 ng/ml and below.
Prostate cancer is believed to be caused by an exposure to the male hormones testosterone. An increase in the testosterone levels in the body stimulates prostate cancer cells to grow. Hormone therapy is given to patients diagnosed with prostate cancer as a means to decease the testosterone levels in the body, it is also referred as the Androgen Deprivation Therapy (in which production of male hormones are prevented). Radiation therapy is given to directly kill and destroy the cancer cells by using external beam radiation.
Numerous studies conclude that combination of hormone therapy plus radiation therapy promotes good survival rates. Hormone therapy helps by reducing tumor growth. It also potentiates killing of the cancer cells when combined with radiotherapy.

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