Prostate Awareness Foundation
Prostate Self Help
Monthly Bulletin
March 2009
Prostate Cancer Marker Found In Urine Could Be The Break Through Test We Have Been Waiting For!
As most doctors and patients now know, one of the biggest problems with prostate cancer is the inability for the medical community to determine which men will progress and die from the disease and which men have a more benign condition. Because of this problem, it is now estimated that as many of 60% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over treated for a disease that will not be fatal.
Now, researchers at the University of Michigan have isolated a metabolite called sarcosine which can not only detect prostate cancer in the urine, but apparently can be used to determine how advanced the disease is, and as a determinant for disease progression. At the moment, prostate cancer is diagnosed and monitored by testing for high concentrations of prostate specific antigen (PSA), which if high, is then followed by a biopsy.
At this point, it appears that sarcosine is a superior test to the PSA, with some obvious advantages. If further testing of sarcosine proves valid, this non-invasive test could be used to predict the aggressiveness of prostate cancer and which men should undergo a biopsy. As we know, most men would prefer not to have a biopsy unless it is absolutely
necessary. Let’s hope this is the testing break through we have been hoping for.
A Drug That Prevents Prostate Cancer, Let’s Wait and See.
For the first time, leading medical groups are now recommending that healthy men use the pharmaceutical drug finasteride, also known as Proscar to prevent prostate cancer.
A study presented at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Urological Association claims that the drug can cut the odds of being diagnosed with prostate cancer by about 25%. Finasteride, which must be taken daily, would cost on average of between $2 and $3 per day, but at this time is not covered by insurance.
We feel this is a very controversial recommendation. Finasteride has been available for some time and is generally used to relieve symptoms of BPH (enlarged prostate). A few years ago there was a clinical study published indicating that finasteride appeared to be a prostate cancer preventative. But the study also cautioned that some men using finasteride as a preventative turned out to have more aggressive cancers on diagnosis. At the time this was a “red flag” warning against using the drug. A recent study did not validate these concerns, hence the new recommendation for its widespread use as a preventative. Since we know that often times clinical studies contradict each other, we would caution against the use of finasteride until more conclusive data is made available.
Prostate Friendly Publications: Below is a list of some of the publications we have found to have up to date valuable information. Some are free; others are available at a minimal price. You’ll note that some of them are not specific to prostate health. But they are all valuable resources for the latest general health information. It’s also a great way to begin taking a pro-active approach to your prostate health.
Prostate Forum: a monthly periodical written by Charles Myers, MD is available for $46 per year, and also available on line. This is an important publication devoted to both conventional and alternative oriented prostate information. www.prostateforum.com
PAACT Newsletter: A free monthly publication specific to prostate health. PAACT is one of the oldest alternative medicine oriented prostate periodical. You’ll find information about alternative protocols, novel therapies and also conventional viewpoints. www.paactusa.org.
PCRI Insights: is a free monthly periodical produced by the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. It has a wealth of conventional oriented prostate cancer information. www.prostate-cancer.org
Nutrition Action Health Letter: The Center for Science in the Public Interest sells this publication at a very minimal price of $24 for an annual subscription. Although not specific to prostate health, this is a great resource for the truth about the foods we eat and should not eat. www.cspinet.org
Harvard Men’s Health Watch: The monthly periodical from Harvard University. A reasonably priced publication with the latest information on all things related to men’s health. www.health.harvard.edu
www.prostateawarenessfoundation.org: Visit our new and improved website.
It’s still a work in progress, but we think you will be pleased with the new format. You can subscribe to this free monthly news bulletin, Prostate Self Help by clicking on the subscribe button on the home page.
San Francisco Bay Area Lecture by PAF’s Executive Director
If you reside in the bay area you might want to attend a free lecture by Ken Malik. His lecture will include ways you can take a proactive approach to prostate health. The lecture will include information about nutrition, diet, supplements, exercise and other creative ways that Ken has kept his prostate cancer at bay for fourteen years without the use of conventional therapy.
When: Tuesday night, March 10th @ 6:30PM
Where: Kaiser Permanente – Hayward, CA
27303 Sleepy Hollow Ave, South
Hayward, CA 94545
www.prostateawarenessfoundation.org
2166 12th Avenue, S.F. CA. 94116
415-675-5661 kamalik@sbcglobal.net