Checking for changes in the number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) could help doctors predict advanced prostate cancer patients' survival and response to treatment, U.S. researchers report.
They studied the association between CTC numbers (before and after treatment) and survival, along with other factors such as changes in levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and baseline lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in 164 prostate cancer patients starting first-line chemotherapy regimens.
High values of CTC numbers and PSA levels before treatment were associated with increased risk of death. At four, eight and 12 weeks after treatment, changes in CTC numbers were strongly associated with increased risk of death, while changes in PSA were only marginally associated with increased risk of death.
The findings confirm that pre-treatment CTC numbers help predict survival of prostate cancer patients starting first-line chemotherapy. CTC numbers also help monitor disease status and response to treatment, and CTC is a better predictor than PSA, the researchers said.
"CTC number[s] ... can be used to monitor disease status and might be useful as an intermediate endpoint of survival in clinical trials," wrote study author Howard Sher, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. "Use as an intermediate or surrogate endpoint for survival could shorten the time line for drug approval," although "several prospective trials are needed to generate evidence to guide the use of biomarkers."
Read more: Levels of Circulating Tumor Cells Could Predict Prostate Cancer Outcome
A new marker for advanced prostate cancer and metastasis, or spread, of the disease has been identified by U.S. researchers.
Their analysis of prostate tissue from men with localized prostate cancer revealed that the men had significantly decreased levels of a stromal protein called caveolin-1. The researchers also found that the protein was not present in tumor tissue from men with metastatic prostate cancer.
Lower levels of caveolin-1 were associated with a high Gleason score, which is one of the most important predictors of poor clinical outcome among prostate cancer patients, according to the study, which appears online in advance of publication in the August print issue of Cell Cycle.
"We previously showed that the absence of stromal caveolin-1 is also associated with advanced tumor stage, early recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer," Dr. Michael Lisanti, a professor in the departments of cancer biology, medical oncology, and biochemistry and molecular biology at Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said in a university news release.
"Now we have identified [the protein's] similar prognostic value in prostate cancer," Lisanti added. "It is possible that this biomarker may be universal and could be widely applicable as a prognostic indicator for other cancer types as well."
Prostate cancer, while very curable if detected early enough, is incurable once it has metastasized outside the gland itself. What this means is that as long as the cancer is confined to the prostate it can be treated and in most cases cured. Once these cancerous cells break away from the malignant tumor and enter the blood stream or lymphatic system they will grow and multiply in other parts of the body. Prostate cancer cells normally metastasize to the skeletal system, which is extremely difficult to treat. This is why it is important that all men get regular checkups by their doctors once they hit 40 years of age.
Aside from regular doctors visits prostate prevention comes down to living a healthy lifestyle. This means cutting out bad health habits and starting to adhere to healthier lifestyle principles. In fact men who want to avoid prostate problems should actually forget about the prostate and look to improve their overall health, particularly their heart.
In the middle of winter, it's easy to assume that those dull headaches, raspy throats and stuffy noses are just another bout of flu or the common cold, but those symptoms could also be triggered by irritating chemicals inside your home.
Furthermore, there are some indoor air pollutants that you may not be allergic to but still pose other, less obvious health risks in the long term. Evicting these sneaky houseguests is extremely important during the short days and long months we spend cooped up inside.
A 2003 study published in Environmental Science & Technology and conducted by the Silent Spring Institute, an environmental health organization, found 66 endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), which interfere with reproductive function in animal studies, in the vacuum-cleaner dust of all the 120 homes studied. In a 2005 study by Clean Production Action, a Canadian-based nonprofit, researchers found EDCs, including phthalates, alkylphenols, pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organotins and perfluorinated compounds, in the vacuum-cleaner dust of all 70 homes they tested.
When the weather outside is frightful and the fire inside delightful, it's so tempting to curl up on the couch and avoid the nasty winter air. But after a few hours, you may feel the beginnings of a dull headache, perhaps a raspy throat or a stuffy nose, maybe a little nausea. You might think it's just another bout of flu or common cold, but if the symptoms persist, they may actually be due to allergens or irritants you're inhaling indoors.
Pesky yet omnipresent biological matter—mold, mildew, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches and pollen, to name just a few—can spell misery to the more than 50 million Americans suffering from asthma and allergic diseases, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Furthermore, untreated allergies can lead to other illnesses like sinusitis and ear infections, and it's important to treat the symptoms while ridding your space of these triggers.
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