A Perfect Therapy For Prostate Cancer

According to a British study, a pioneering prostate cancer treatment rids 9 in 10 men of the disease with fewer side effects.

By using intensive ultrasound, researchers at University College London produced the perfect result for prostate cancer patients.

The therapy could be completed in a single visit to hospital, with patients being discharged within hours as against the prolonged stays in wards associated with surgery and radiotherapy.

Researchers said that the ability of this new ultrasound treatment to destroy tumors while limiting side effects rendered it twice as effective as existing therapies.

Scientists said the prostate cancer treatment could be routinely used within 5 years.

The clinical trials gave hope to the 37,000 sufferers in the UK diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. About 10,000 men die from prostate cancer every year.

If diagnosed early, radiotherapy and surgery could check the spread of prostate cancer, but the devastating side effects could severely impair the patient’s quality of life.

Of the patients given traditional treatments, nearly 20% suffer incontinence & half experience impotence. Radiotherapy too causes other side effects in nearly 1 in 5 patients, including pain & bleeding.

In this new technique known as High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Hifu), high intensity soundwaves are focused, using a probe placed near the prostate, on an area about a 10th of an inch across. The powerful soundwaves effectively heat the cancerous cells to 80C, killing tumors, and reducing the collateral damage to surrounding tissue, while minimizing side effects.

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Acupuncture Prevents Chronic Dry Mouth

Acupuncture when combined with radiation therapy for head & neck cancer, eases the dreadful side effects of dry mouth.

Xerostomia or severe dry mouth syndrome is generally characterized by a decreased salivary flow, which usually affects patients getting radiotherapy for head & neck cancer. The condition causes difficulties in eating, speaking & sleeping and also increases the risk for developing oral infections, thereby impairing a patient’s quality of life.

A study by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center & Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center found that incorporating acupuncture together with radiotherapy reduced the incidence & severity of Xerostomia.

The study involved 86 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, out of which 40 were randomized to acupuncture while 46 to the standard of care.

Patients in the treatment group received acupuncture therapy thrice a week during the 7-week radiotherapy course.

Patient evaluation was done before radiotherapy, weekly during radiotherapy & then again 1 and 6 months later.

Patients filled up the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ), an 8-item survey assessing the symptoms consistent with this condition with  XQ scores below 30 corresponding to mild or no xerostomia symptoms.

Researchers found clear group differences as early as 3 weeks into radiation therapy for Xerostomia development – a cancer-related symptom that interferes with quality of life & saliva flow rate – a key objective measure.

Almost 6 months after radiotherapy, 24.1% of the acupuncture group recorded XQ scores over 30, compared to 63.6% of the control group still reporting symptoms of xerostomia.

The saliva flow rates were greater in the acupuncture group, starting at 3 weeks into radiotherapy & persisting through the 1 and 6 month follow-up.

This has profound medical implications as without saliva, there could be a rise in microbial growth, likely bone infection & irreversible nutritional deficits.

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Radiotherapy + Hormone Treatment Best For Advanced Prostate Cancer

Recent research shows that a combo treatment is best for people with locally advanced prostate cancer – an aggressive form of prostate cancer that already has spread beyond the prostate gland to surrounding tissues.

Adding radiation to the standard hormonal treatment plan cuts deaths from locally advanced prostate cancer by 43% over 6 years.

The majority of men suffering from locally advanced prostate cancer are believed to be having an untreatable form of cancer as their tumors are already very big to be safely removed through surgery. Moreover, previous studies had suggested radiation therapy caused severe side effects with not much benefit. Hence these patients generally receive just hormone therapy to check testosterone production – the male sex hormone which fuels tumor growth.

Hormone treatment, by itself, was never regarded as a cure but it may sometimes slow the spread of prostate cancer to provide patients with an extra 5-15 years of life.

The new study, however, provides strong evidence that combining hormone treatment and radiation therapy can boost survival.

The combo therapy does not suit everybody. Some patients are quite old and have numerous other health issues to make radiation treatment worthwhile. But for men who are younger & fitter, it can make a considerable difference in their chances of fighting cancer. Recent advances in radiotherapy – including better targeting of tumors – could also help improve the outcomes while lessening side effects.

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Hot Dogs Up Cancer Risk by 21%

According to the American Institute of Cancer Research, consuming 50 gms of processed meat everyday – about the amount one hot dog contains – ups the risk of developing colorectal cancer by 21 per cent.

Hot dogs have a low nutritional value, but are high in salt and this could lead to hypertension & heart disease.

Research links processed meats including deli meats, sausage, ham, bacon & pepperoni to colorectal cancer.

Additionally, processed meats are known to increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes & other types of cancer.

Processed meat consumption also has been linked to an increased prostate cancer risk.  By having an extra 10 gms of processed meat everyday the risk of prostate cancer goes up by 10%.

Furthermore, studies have shown that high processed meat consumption in kids could result in developing type 2 diabetes, leukemia and ovarian cancer.

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Womb Cancer Risk From Eating Cakes, Biscuits

Swedish researchers have found that women snacking on buns, biscuits or cakes thrice a week were more likely to develop womb cancer.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have found that women indulging in a sugary diet 2-3 times a week were 33 % more likely to develop womb or endometrial cancer.

The risk of developing a tumor increased by 42% in case of those who indulged in sugary treats more than 3 times a week.

The Swedish team wanted to find out whether any direct link exists between the amount of sweet foods consumed & the onset of cancer.

Sweets, jam, marmalade or soft drinks had little effect. But women who regularly treated themselves to biscuits, sweet cakes or buns were up to 42% more likely to develop cancer.

However, those whose total intake was in excess of 35 gms of sugar/day – equivalent to approximately 7 teaspoons – faced a 36% increase in tumor risk.

According to scientists, due to sugar overload, the body releases more insulin, which in turn stimulates excessive cell growth in the endometrium that lines the womb.

A sugary diet also boosts the levels of oestrogen, the hormone which is known to trigger uncontrolled cell growth, a vital characteristic of cancer.

Maintaining a healthy weight & staying physically active are the best ways to lower womb cancer risk.

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