Cancer Research Lab

A prediction model designed for use in men with low volume/low grade prostate cancer has been successfully validated, researchers report in the March issue of the Journal of Urology.

Early detection protocols may lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of tumors with volumes less than 0.5 cc, the absence of Gleason grade 4 or 5 and with organ-confined disease, Dr. R. J. Babaian of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston and colleagues note.

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Urine testing for the prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) is more accurate than serum PSA testing in predicting the result of repeat prostate biopsy, according to a report in the March 27th issue of Urology.

Men with elevated PSA levels, but negative prostate biopsy results present a diagnostic dilemma, lead author Dr. Leonard S. Marks, from the University of California in Los Angeles, and colleagues note. Watchful waiting with serial PSA testing is often employed, but this can create anxiety and may also result in unnecessary medical procedures.

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High body mass index (BMI) does not increase the risk of prostate cancer, but BMI and weight gain are associated with a greater risk of mortality from the disease.

“This is a large study that shows a convincing dose-response association between obesity and adult weight gain and death from prostate cancer,” lead investigator Dr. Margaret E. Wright said.

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Dietary isoflavones may reduce the risk of developing localized prostate cancer, but appear to be associated with advanced disease when prostate cancer does occur, according to a report from Japan in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

“Isoflavone intake from traditional Japanese food throughout life may be protective for incidence of prostate cancer,” Dr. Norie Kurahashi said, “but we can not recommend intake of isoflavones from supplements to persons who do not consume isoflavones regularly, because isoflavones may increase the risk of advanced prostate cancer.”

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A single annual treatment with zoledronic acid appears to be sufficient to prevent bone loss in men rendered hypogonadal by treatment for prostate cancer, according to a report in the March 20th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Osteoporosis is an important complication of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist treatment in men with prostate cancer, the authors point out, and quarterly treatment with zoledronic acid has previously been shown to increase bone mineral density (BMD) in such men.

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Interstitial brachytherapy and radical prostatectomy are effective treatments for localized prostate cancer with similar cost profiles, but different long-term side effects, according to the results of a multicenter study in France.

“This study is exciting because it’s the first time we have a comparative study to assess the costs in a given country and see if the side effects are different for patients who received surgery or brachytherapy,” study co-author Dr. Jean-Marc Cosset, from the Institut Curie in Paris, said in a statement.

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High serum selenium levels before diagnosis are not associated with prostate cancer risk, according to findings published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. However, high selenium levels may be protective in certain subgroups.

“Selenium is a potential chemopreventive agent against prostate cancer, whose chemoprotective effects are possibly mediated through the antioxidative properties of selenoenzymes,” Dr. Ulrike Peters, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and colleagues write.

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Men who are obese are more likely than normal weight men to be screened for prostate cancer, according to a new study.

“Obesity is associated with more advanced disease and worse outcomes in men with prostate cancer,” Dr. Judd W. Moul and colleagues from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, write in the February issue of the Journal of Urology. “To our knowledge the relationship between obesity and prostate cancer screening behavior in men 40 or older is unknown.”

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Current biopsy thresholds for prostate specific antigen (PSA) and PSA velocity underestimate prostate cancer risk in younger men, researchers report in the February issue of the Journal of Urology.

“It has been known for over a decade that PSA rises more quickly in men who have prostate cancer,” lead investigator Dr. Judd W. Moul said. “We show, for the first time, that this rate of change should be age-adjusted. In other words, in younger men, smaller rises in PSA predict cancer while in older men, larger rises indicate cancer.”

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Few men newly diagnosed with very low-risk prostate cancer and who are therefore eligible for active surveillance, in lieu of definitive treatment, opt for this approach, new study results indicate.

The findings were reported Thursday in Orlando at The Prostate Cancer Symposium, co-sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and the Society of Urologic Oncology.

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