Santa Cruz County Prostate Cancer Support Group
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Serving all of SANTA CRUZ COUNTY Santa Cruz PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP February 2005 NEWSLETTER Howard Waage (688-0423) -----Editor ______________________________________________________ ___________________________________ When: Tuesday evening, February 22nd starting at 7:00 p.m. (The February Steering committee meeting begins at 5:30 p.m., before the regular meeting) Where: Our meeting will be downstairs in two-story redwood Education Building behind the Santa Cruz Dominican Hospital. We’ll meet in the Bennett & Suzy Katz Cancer Resource Center on the 1st Floor. Please feel free to contact any of the following steering committee members if you would like to volunteer or if you have any suggestions or questions.
Tony & Beverley Calvo 684-0940 Frank Schmetz 438 4781 Bill McDermott 423-8350 Howard Waage 688-0423 Richard & Tina Koch 761-3577 Ollie Wright 335-3878 Lynn Dreeszen 439-8632 Tim Ryan 476-6550 Our website: http://www.scprostate.org Doug Thornton 724-6446 (Webmaster)
….PROSTATE CANCER IN THE NEWS..…
Exercise May Help Cancer Patients Recuperate By Mary Ann Childers
CBS 2 Chicago WBBM-TV Jan 27, 2005 -- Low blood counts, lack of sleep, pain and stress often leave cancer patients with overwhelming fatigue during therapy. As medical editor Mary Ann Childers explains, resting to conserve energy may not be the best remedy.
When Dick Yolevich is not poolside having coffee with his wife, he is inside working hard to fight fatigue. I hope that my experience is indicative of what it's going to do for other people, says Dick Yolevich
The prostate cancer patient is in a study to see if exercise helps patients avoid fatigue during radiation treatments. Doctors typically tell weary cancer patients to relax, take it easy. Now new research suggests the opposite. What we actually see is if you can get up and get moving even just a little bit, there are some positive things that occur systemically in the body which actually can help alleviate some of that fatigue, says Karen Mustian, PhD.
Participants in the University of Rochester study include breast and prostate cancer patients who have been scheduled for at least 30 radiation treatments. "The activities that we're having them do are considered very low to moderate intensity activities – walking, says Karen Mustian, PhD.
Along with some resistance training, even a little workout boosts his energy says Dick Yolevich . This is a fatigue that doesn't go away with sleep. It just hangs on and fortunately, I didn't experience any of that. With results like that, the day may come when cancer doctors prescribe exercise as often as heart doctors.
I would say that probably in 20 years, you will see programs very similar to cardiac rehabilitation programs where it will be a common part of your treatment, Karen Mustian, PhD says. Previous studies have shown that cancer patients with fatigue who are inactive can actually feel worse. As always, if you think you want to start an exercise program ask your doctor for guidelines. Source: http://cbs2chicago.com/health/local_story_027163858.html
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Get Involved In Hubby's Health Feb. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
DEAR ABBY: Because your column is like a huge community billboard, I thought I'd ask you to get this message out. Please remind women that when they schedule themselves for a mammogram, they should schedule their husbands for a prostate exam and PSA test.
There's an abundance of advertising about breast exams, yearly checkups and women's health centers, but little is seen about the same thing for men. Prostate cancer is a serious problem if it's not detected before the symptoms show up; by then it's already spreading outside the prostate. Men put off medical visits more often than women, so if you could get women involved in our health we might be around a lot longer.
As a prostate cancer survivor, I know from personal experience that early-stage prostate cancer has no symptoms and, having been cancer-free for the past six years, I am living proof that early prostate cancer can be cured. - Alive and Kickin' in Knoxville, Tenn.
DEAR ALIVE AND KICKIN': You have written an important letter. Many men, and women, too, will appreciate your timely reminder. My mother was once asked what she thought was the most important ingredient for a lasting marriage. Her response: "A husband who lasts."
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0202abby0202.html
Clinical Trial Available In Santa Cruz:
GVAX® Prostate Cancer Vaccine vs Docetaxel and Prednisone in Patients with Metastatic Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer
This study is currently recruiting patients. ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-01-26 Sponsored by: Cell Genesys Information provided by: Cell Genesys
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the duration of survival between GVAX® prostate cancer vaccine and chemotherapy treatment in patients with prostate cancer who no longer respond to hormone therapy, who have documented metastases, and who have not been treated with chemotherapy in the past.
Treatment or Intervention: Vaccine: Immunotherapy with allogeneic prostate vaccine Drug: (Taxotere and prednisone) Phase: Phase III Study Type: Interventional Study Design: Treatment, Randomized, Open Label, Active Control, Parallel Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study Official Title: A Phase III Randomized, Open-Label Study of CG1940 and CG8711 Versus Docetaxel and Prednisone in Patients with Metastatic Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer who are Chemotherapy-Naïve Further Study Details: Expected Total Enrollment: 600, Study start: July 2004 Eligibility: Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years and above, Genders Eligible for Study: Male Inclusion Criteria: * Confirmed diagnosis of or clinical history consistent with adenocarcinoma of the prostate * Metastatic prostate cancer deemed to be unresponsive or refractory to hormone therapy * Detectable metastases * Any Gleason score * ECOG performance status 0-2 Exclusion Criteria: * Prior treatment with chemotherapy * Prior Immunotherapy * Prior treatment with gene therapy * Significant cancer related pain
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Clinical Trial Location and Contact Information MEDFONE Call Center 1-866-679-4904 Cancer Research & Treatment Center, Soquel, California, 95073, United States; Recruiting Michelle Steiny, NP 831-462-8750 J. Talisman Pomeroy IV, MD, Principal Investigator, 831-462-8750 More Information Study ID Numbers: G-0029; (VITAL-1) ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00089856 Health Authority: United States: Food and Drug Administration Source: ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-01-26 http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/show/NCT00089856 http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/show/NCT00089856
Combination Therapy for Prostate Cancer Packs a Powerful 1-2 Punch
Harvard Men's Health Watch, Released: Mon 10-Jan-2005— Research suggests that adding hormonal therapy to standard treatments for prostate cancer can offer real advantages to men with advanced or high-grade disease that has not spread from the gland, according to the January issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.
Scientists have made great progress in understanding prostate cancer. They've identified the genes that make some men particularly vulnerable to this disease and are starting to pinpoint the lifestyle factors linked to risk. Even the standard treatments have greatly improved. Surgical removal of the gland has become safer, and new techniques can help preserve potency. Innovative forms of radiation therapy allow oncologists to deliver more powerful treatment with fewer side effects. And new forms of hormonal drug therapy can dramatically lower levels of testosterone, which fuels the growth of prostate cells.
Earlier studies suggested that combining hormonal therapy and external beam radiation could reduce the progression of locally advanced cancer more effectively than radiation alone, although men treated surgically did not appear to benefit from adding hormonal treatment. Now three more studies, described in Harvard Men’s Health Watch, extend the reach of combination therapy. Two found that adding hormonal therapy can prolong survival in men receiving radiation, and the third reported that hormonal treatment could reduce the progression of disease in men treated with radiation, surgery, or watchful waiting.
These results, although encouraging, do leave some unanswered questions, the article notes. For example: Is combination therapy a good choice for men with less advanced cancers? When is the best time to start hormonal therapy? And, how long should it be continued? Harvard Men’s Health Watch notes that with the wide variety of treatments for prostate cancer, the "right" choice isn't always clear. A man’s age, the stage of the cancer, and his personal preferences regarding the side effects of the treatments are important factors in making that decision.
Harvard Men’s Health Watch is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $24 per year. Subscribe at http://www.health.harvard.edu/men or by calling 1-877-649-9457 (toll free) Source: http://www.newswise.com/p/articles/view/509160/
Phytonutrients in Avocados Can Help Protect against Prostate Cancer According to New UCLA Study
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2005--Research findings published in this month's issue of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry indicate that nutrients in avocados can work together to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells. The analysis was conducted at UCLA where researchers discovered that avocados are the richest source of lutein among commonly eaten fruits. Lutein is a carotenoid that acts as an antioxidant and has been linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer in previous studies(1)(2).
According to Dr. David Heber, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and author of "What Color Is Your Diet?" (Harper-Collins, 2002), the study focused on inhibition of human prostate cancer cell growth when exposed to an extract of whole avocado fruit versus treatment with pure lutein. UCLA lab tests showed that when avocado extract was added to two lines of prostate cancer cells, cell growth was inhibited by up to 60 percent, whereas purified lutein alone was ineffective. Thus, the tests indicated that the family of compounds in avocados produced the observed effect.
Page 3 "What's really exciting about this study is that the results indicate that the carotenoids, vitamins, and diverse compounds in California avocados might have additive or synergistic effects against prostate cancer compared with pure lutein alone," said Heber. "Our results suggest that further studies should be done to investigate the effects of the naturally occurring combinations of thousands of different bioactive substances (called phytonutrients) found in avocados and other plant foods."
Traditionally, lutein has been found in green vegetables such as parsley, celery and spinach but was recently discovered in the avocado fruit. In fact, research shows that avocados are the highest fruit source of lutein among the 20 most frequently consumed fruits. In addition to the new prostate cancer findings, lutein is also known to protect against eye disease such as cataracts and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.
Studies from around the world have shown that individuals eating 400 to 600 grams per day (over one pound) of fruits and vegetables reduce their risk of certain cancers by 50 percent. Heber supports this theory in his book "What Color Is Your Diet?," advising at least one serving per day of colorful fruits and vegetables from each of seven different color groups organized according to their contents of major groups of phytonutrients. These phytonutrients may help explain the association between eating a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables and a reduced risk of common chronic diseases of aging including common forms of cancer, diabetes, blindness, and age-related declines in mental function.
California avocados fall in the green-yellow group and contain such vital nutrients as vitamin E, which helps "mop up" free radicals that can damage cells and lead to disease; glutathione, which functions as an antioxidant like vitamin E; beta-sitosterol, which helps lower blood cholesterol; and lutein, recently linked to prostate cancer and eye disease prevention. California avocados are naturally cholesterol-free and contain heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fats. Ounce for ounce, California avocados contain more fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate than any other commonly eaten fruit. For more information, visit www.avocado.org. Editor's Note: Abstract available upon request.
(1)Jain L, Du CF, Lee AH, Binns CW. "Do Dietary Lycopene and Other Carotenoids Protect Against Prostate Cancer?" Int J Cancer 2005;113(6):1010-1014. (2)Lu QY, et al. "Inverse Associations Between Plasma Lycopene and Other Carotenoids and Prostate Cancer." Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2001;10(7):749-756. http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050111005232&newsLang=en
Soy-Tea Combo May Thwart Prostate Cancer
PakTribune.com - Jan 19, 2005: The same two foods that many scientists believe reduce the risk of breast cancer in women may also protect men from prostate cancer.
That's the conclusion of a new Harvard University study that looked at the power of tea and soy to inhibit the growth of prostate tumors in mice. Unlike other studies that examined the food's individual effects on tumor growth, the new research focused on the power that came from the combined effect of tea and soy together.
"I think the most important finding is that consumption of both soy and tea has a synergistic effect," says study author Jin-Rong Zhou, adding that each appears to reinforce the power of the other to fight cancer. The study appears in the February issue of The Journal of Nutrition. Zhou says he got the idea to test the soy-tea combination when statistical data showed that China had one of the lowest prostate cancer risk profiles in the world. Sensing that diet may play a key role, he dissected Chinese food habits and looked at what the men were eating most.
While a number of foods made the list, Zhou says tea and soy jumped out, mostly because previous studies showed they may possess anti-cancer properties. "By combining the facts that soy and tea are more commonly consumed [in China] and their bioactive components are more potent than other dietary components, we proposed that they are effective dietary components, especially in combination, for prostate cancer prevention," Zhou says.
Zhou and his colleagues put their theory to the test on 16 mice, each genetically engineered to grow tumors in the prostate region. All the mice ate a diet of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, while some were also fed daily doses of soy compound in varying amounts. Infusions of both black and green tea were given to all the mice to drink. The amount of soy consumed by the mice would be equivalent to about 250 milligrams per day for a human, while the tea dose was equivalent to about 6 to 8 cups a day, Zhou says.
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At the end of the study, the mice were examined for not only the presence of prostate tumors, but also the size of the tumors, their rate of growth and how much the disease had spread. These figures were then analyzed in regard to soy and tea consumption.What the researchers found: Individually, the soy complex, and the black and green tea reduced the rate at which tumors developed. When tumors did grow, they were smaller when either tea or soy was consumed.
However, when taken together, the tea-soy combination was even more powerful, not only at inhibiting tumor growth, but also at reducing the weight of any tumors that did develop, as well as controlling the spread of cancer to nearby lymph nodes. The soy and green tea combination also reduced hormone concentrations linked to prostate cancer. Ultimately, both tea-soy combinations inhibited angiogenesis, a process in which tumors grow blood vessels to stay alive. The bottom line: Alone and especially together, tea and soy exhibited powerful anti-prostate cancer effects, the study says.
For nutritionist Jyni Holland, the research holds promise, but she doesn't think men should flood their diet with tea or soy just yet. "Keep in mind that it was a mouse study, and many promising animal results never translate to human success," says Holland, a clinical nutritionist at New York University Medical Center.
At the same time, she says that since both tea and soy have been shown in other studies to yield many important health benefits, adding them to your diet in moderation could have positive results. "I wouldn't run out and buy soy or green tea supplements. But if you want to include these foods in your diet, then you may be well ahead of the game if and when this research does prove true in humans," Holland says. Source: http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=91083
Effects Of Diet On Prostate Cancer
Ivanhoe Broadcast News,1/29/2005—Scientists are testing the effects of a healty diet on prostate cancer. Studies show men in Japan and China have as much as 90 percent less prostate cancer than American men. With the large number of immigrants in Hawaii from Japan, researchers at the University of Hawaii set out to determine why this difference exists.
Their research involved Japanese-Americans including first generation immigrants and their offspring. This was known as the migrant study. What they found was that cancer rates varied between Japan and Hawaii and that cancer rates varied between generations within Hawaii.
"Breast cancer rates are very low in Japan. They're high in the United States and what we showed was that if you looked at the first generation of migrants in Hawaii, the Japanese-American women, their breast cancer rates were still low by U.S. standards but they were much higher than in the first generation, so there was a progression," said lead researcher Dr. Laurence Kolonel.
This, says Kolonel, is an indication that it can't just be genetics. He believes it's environmental. Researchers concluded the likeliest culprit was diet – especially as more Western eating habits make their way into Hawaii with fast food restaurants.
Researchers wants to examine the linke between prostate cancer and a healthy diet. Now, Kolonel and colleagues at the University of Hawaii are collaborating with researchers at the University of Southern California to gather groups of individuals in one of the following categories: native Hawaiians from Hawaii, Caucasians from Hawaii, Japanese-Americans from Hawaii, African-Americans from California, and Latinos from California.
Their goals are twofold: see which components of the diet increase the risk for cancer and which protect against cancer; and see if those relationships are consistent across ethnic groups.
A total of 215,000 individuals are expected to enroll in the study. All filled out a 26-page questionnaire about their diets and some will have blood and urine collected as well to look at biological markers that explain what happens to the food once it's absorbed into the bloodstream. The current study has no set end date but is expected to go for about 20 years or more to get the maximum benefit.
Page 5 "We want to be able to recommend to the public not just specific suggestions like 'eat less fat' or 'eat more fiber,' but what's the kind of diet that you should eat in general? What's the sort of pattern you should follow so that you will hopefully live a long and healthful life without disability and to a ripe old age?" Kolonel said.
Dr. Dean Ornish, inventor of the Ornish diet, has found by eating a diet low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables, men can actually lower their risk of prostate cancer. He conducted a study where men were randomly assigned to eat whatever they wanted and half were asked to make intensive changes to their diet. "After three months, PSA levels as a marker for prostate cancer were essentially unchanged in the comparison group, but they went down significantly in the group that made comprehensive changes in diet and lifestyle," Ornish said. Source: http://news8austin.com/content/living/health_beat/?ArID=130114&SecID=169
Supplement May Slow Marker of Prostate Cancer By Amy Norton
NEW YORK 02/4/05 (Reuters Health) - A mix of dietary supplements including antioxidants and plant-based estrogens may slow the rise of a biomarker for prostate cancer progression in some men, preliminary research suggests. The study of 37 men with the disease found that 6 weeks on the supplements generally lowered patients' levels of male sex hormones, which fuel prostate cancer growth, and, in some patients, put the brakes on rising levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).
PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland; rising PSA levels in a man's blood can signal cancer or, in men already diagnosed with the disease, cancer progression. However, the PSA effects seen in this study do not necessarily mean the supplement was hindering the men's tumors from growing, according to the study authors. The question of whether the change in patients' PSA rise translates into a change in tumor size "remains unresolved," they report in the International Journal of Cancer.
But more "thought-provoking" is the possibility that diet changes could help lower a man's risk of developing prostate cancer, said lead study author Dr. Ries Kranse, of Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The supplement mixture he and his colleagues studied included a powder-based drink that contained green tea extract, a soy extract supplying estrogen-like compounds called phytoestrogens, and antioxidants such as lycopene. Patients also used margarine spiked with cholesterol-fighting plant sterols and the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium.
Men in the study, all of whom had prostate cancer and rising PSA levels, used the supplements for 6 weeks; each also used inactive, or placebo, supplements for another 6 weeks. Kranse and his colleagues found that the patients' male hormone levels were lower when they were on the supplement compared with when they were taking the placebo.
In the 21 men who showed a dip in a hormone measure called the free androgen index, the supplement also appeared to slow rising PSA levels. When these men were on the placebo, it took an average of 36 weeks for their PSA levels to double, versus 115 weeks with the supplement.
This finding, according to Kranse, suggests that if the supplement proves capable of slowing or stopping tumor growth, it would be through the hormonal effects of the estrogen-like compounds. If this is the case, he said, a "dietary intervention" could eventually serve as an alternative to certain hormone-suppressing drugs used in prostate cancer treatment. "Much more thought-provoking, however, is the possible role of a change in diet in primary prevention," Kranse added. The current findings, he noted, are in line with studies of the general population that suggest diets rich in antioxidants and phytoestrogens may lower the risk of prostate cancer. Fruits and vegetables are prime antioxidant sources, while phytoestrogens are found in foods such as soybeans and soy products, whole grains and flaxseed.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, February 20, 2005. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050204/hl_nm/prostate_supplement_dc_1
The Santa Cruz County Prostate Cancer Support Group does not endorse any provider, organization, product or individual. All medical decisions should be made with the advice and consultation of medical professionals.
Our newsletter serves over 200 members. Many THANKS to the American Cancer Society for assisting with the printing and mailing of this newsletter.
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