Santa Cruz County Prostate Cancer Support Group

January 2006

BACK TO ARCHIVE

Do you have a news item to contribute?

We want to hear from you! Members of the support group are welcome to contribute any items of interest to the group at large. Updates on your status, news about prostate cancer treatments, or anything you feel would be of interest to the group are all welcome. Contact Doug Thornton, 588-1586 or or Howard Waage, 688-0423 with your story.  

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Serving all of SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Santa Cruz PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
January 2006 NEWSLETTER
Howard Waage (688-0423) -----Editor
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Our January Meeting

An Invitation for You
And for your significant other.

Maren Martin LCSW, will return to lead us in a discussion of intimacy and
communication for couples who have experienced prostate cancer in their lives.

Please join us at our regular meeting of the Santa Cruz County Prostate Cancer Support Group on Tuesday January 31, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at the Katz Cancer Resource Center.

Questions ?
Beverley (684-0940)

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 Julie Batz 724-2701 Lynn Dreeszen 439-8632 Tim Ryan 476-6550
Our website: http://www.scprostate.org Doug Thornton 724-6446 (Webmaster)

SUPPORT SUB-GROUP FOR MEN WITH ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER MEETINGS.

This group will be for men that have been diagnosed with prostate cancer which has spread outside the prostate or who have experienced a recurrence after primary treatment. Typically, these men are receiving hormone blockade, are participating in a clinical trial or are receiving some other form of advanced treatment. The sub-Group will meet every TWO months at the Katz Cancer Resource Center of Dominican Hospital. The sub-group will meet on the 2nd MONDAY OF THE MONTH. Next Meeting Date: …… February 13th, 2006, 5 – 7 pm.

The purpose of this group will be to better address the special problems and issues of men with advanced prostate cancer. In addition, at some meetings, we will invite local medical oncologists to discuss their approach and treatments
Men with advanced prostate cancer will continue to be welcomed at the regular monthly meetings on the last Tuesday of the month. Tony Calvo has agreed to coordinate the sub-group. If you have any suggestions or questions, contact Tony Calvo at 684-0940.

SUPPORT SUB-GROUP MEETING FOR WIVES and PARTNERS OF MEN LIVING WITH PROSTATE CANCER

 This group is for women to share information with each other, learn more about prostate cancer, and how to cope with the impact of the disease individually and within the family in a supportive, caring and confidential environment. The meeting will be held every two months, the 2nd Monday of the month, 5 – 7pm (same time and same building as the men’s Advanced Prostate Cancer Meeting). For more information, contact Julie Batz at 724-2701

Next Meeting Date: February 13th, 2006, 5 – 7 pm, Rm. B-2 (upstairs from the Katz Cancer Resource Center)

 

….PROSTATE CANCER IN THE NEWS..…

 

Lean body mass may protect against prostate cancer

 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A high lean body mass - calculated using an equation to determine body mass minus the fat — may lower the risk of prostate cancer, a new study indicates.

 Prostate cancer is a hormone-related disease affected by a variety of other factors including genetics, age, ethnicity and family history. In the last few years, researchers started to suspect that body size might also affect the risk of prostate cancer, but research has provided conflicting results.

 Most studies investigated body mass index, but this index includes lean and fat tissue, which may have different influences on the risk of cancer.

 In an attempt to settle things, Dr. John S. Witte from the University of California, San Francisco, and his colleagues conducted a study of 439 men with prostate cancer and 479 of their siblings without prostate cancer. They examined the effects of weight, height, body mass index, and lean body mass, which they thought might be more relevant than body mass index to the risk of prostate cancer and aggressiveness of the disease.

 The researchers found that the higher the lean body mass, the lower the risk of prostate cancer, especially in men with more aggressive disease or who were older when their cancer was diagnosed. They also observed a similar, though weaker, inverse pattern for weight, but found no associations between risk of prostate cancer and body mass index or height.

 The investigators suspect that the inverse associations between higher lean body mass and prostate cancer risk may reflect the potentially protective effect of high levels of the male hormone androgen in patients with high lean body mass on the development and progression of prostate cancer.

 SOURCE: Journal of Urology, December 2005   Article at: http://psa-rising.com/blog

 

Experts urge less focus on antioxidants, more on variety   By J.M. HIRSCH

 (Associated Press)- 12/11/05 Tired of trying to keep track of all the so-called superfoods you're supposed to eat?

You know, oregano that packs 42 times more antioxidants than apples, cooked tomatoes that may prevent prostate cancer, and chocolate and wine that may or may not be health foods?

 Then here's the good news — you can stop trying.

 Leading researchers say all those breathless headlines, food packaging claims and seemingly contradictory studies about what antioxidants can and can't do have fostered a faulty silver bullet mind-set that can hinder health more than help. Instead, experts advise focusing on balance, moderation and variety, and leaving the phytochemicals, flavanols and phenolic acids to scientists.

 Researcher Jeffrey Blumberg acknowledges that "doesn't seem to be a very sexy message. People would rather be told there is a superfood, a term I hate because in fact there is no such thing." Foods labeled as antioxidant-rich — everything from bottled tea to bags of frozen berries — have become a $526 million industry that continues to grow.

 Even foods that otherwise have seen sales slump are getting a boost from antioxidant claims, says Phil Lempert, a food industry analyst and editor of SupermarketGuru.com. Sales of blueberry preserves, for example, are up, though overall jam sales are down. "It's clear that regardless of whether or not people understand what 'rich in antioxidants' means, it is certainly a logo or a stamp that says 'Buy me! I'm going to help you live forever,'" Lempert says.

 Maybe. Maybe not. Experts aren't suggesting antioxidants aren't important or that people shouldn't eat foods that contain them. Instead, they're saying not enough is known about how they work to justify focusing one's diet on any particular antioxidant or food.

 It's all about quashing free radicals, harmful chemicals produced by the body and found in the environment that damage cells. That damage has been linked to a host of chronic conditions, from heart problems to cancer, even aging.

Diets rich in antioxidants — which are in countless foods — seem to minimize this damage. What's not clear is whether that benefit is due to the antioxidants themselves or to the overall diet and the way the antioxidants and other nutrients in it interact.

 The evidence increasingly suggests the latter, says Howard Sesso, a professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. That means eating patterns make a difference, but probably not eating particular foods or taking supplements.

 

Diets rich in beta carotene, for example, have been found to help prevent heart disease and cancer, but studies of beta carotene supplements alone have been mostly disappointing. And there is little evidence that one antioxidant is better than another. Also unknown is whether quantity counts. Manufacturers brag about the amount of antioxidants in their products, but studies have yet to establish that more is better, or whether the body can even absorb the amounts contained in most foods.

 

Blumberg, a scientist at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition, worries that the hype about antioxidants creates a false sense of security. Eating a daily handful of almonds — believed good for heart health — won't make up for a diet otherwise laden with saturated fat and cholesterol.

 So how should people work antioxidants into their diets? Think big picture.

 Healthy diets are like healthy investment portfolios — diversified, says John Erdman Jr., a professor of internal medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Eating a variety of produce and whole grains ensures the best mix of all nutrients. There's probably not much harm in eating a lot of blueberries, but that can't be said of all antioxidant-rich foods. The calories in fruit juice and alcohol, for example, add up quickly and obesity negates the benefits of even the healthiest foods.

 Even people trying to address specific health problems would do better to eat a broad mix of foods than to tailor their diets around certain ingredients, the experts say. "When people get prostate cancer, all of the sudden they make all the changes in their diet," Erdman says. "We don't even know if those changes make a difference then. But we know that if people eat that diet before getting cancer, you don't tend to get it."

 Consumers also must be critical of companies' health claims about antioxidants, many of which are unregulated and unsupported by science. And studies often are funded by the industries that benefit when products are dubbed superfoods.

 Bottom line — eat a balanced diet and don't get hung up on the particulars.

 Find this article at: http://www.ajc.com/health/content/health/1205/12antioxidants.html

 

Chemical found in fruit may help prevent prostate cancer  by Julie Feit

 December 9, 2005 - A University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health research team has found a chemical compound common in many fruits, lupeol, which proved promising in preventing prostate cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death among men.

 Lupeol, an antioxidant found in some fruits, including strawberries, mangoes and figs, may have the ability to kill existing cancer cells and prevent new tumors from initiating or progressing.

 “The cancer process takes about 20 years,” dermatology professor Hasan Mukhtar said. “If we can slow it down, the process might take 30 or 40 years. This is a goal I’m working on.” According to Mukhtar, lengthening the cancer process allows more time for prevention and treatment. “Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men and accounts for almost 230,000 cancer cases each year,” UW urologist David Jarrard said. “Mukhtar presents interesting information that may be found as beneficial for other cancers.”

 Mukhtar and his research team observed the effects of lupeol in “nude” mice, those that accept foreign disease. The team injected the mice with human prostate-cancer cells and investigated the results of those given lupeol alone and lupeol in conjunction with a laboratory-produced antibody.

Mice injected with lupeol alone showed a substantial slowing of the cancer process, and those that received both showed even greater results. Mukhtar’s goal was to define the active agents and understand the mechanics of the chemical. “We found that lupeol significantly slows down carcinogenesis,” Mukhtar said. Mukhtar added that he strongly believes these agents inhibit cancer growth in other tissues, including the prostate.

 Lupeol may be effective in preventing prostate cancer by localizing the cancer. Biochemical pathways become defective in the process of cancer and, if lupeol can repair these pathways, the cancer cannot spread. “So long as the cancer is localized, it cannot spread,” Mukhtar said. “The problem with cancer is that it escapes and deposits in other tissues, multiplying. If the cancer is localized, it can then be surgically removed.”

 Mukhtar said his ultimate goal is to develop a cocktail fruit platter that may slow down the cancer process. “If people do not consume fruit, we can put the agent into a capsule,” Mukhtar said. “Just like one-a-day pills, it could be a one-a-day cancer preventative pill.”

 Mukhtar’s previous study investigated the effects of pomegranate juice on the prevention of prostate cancer. He found that the juice, which contains more antioxidants than red wine or green tea, also inhibits prostate carcinogenesis. In contrast to green tea, which may prevent breast, lung and prostate cancer, among others, pomegranate juice has only been shown to slow the progression of prostate cancer.

 This study prompted Mukhtar to question whether there are other agents that can achieve the same effects. The study of lupeol was reported in the Dec. 1 edition of Cancer Research.

Source: http://badgerherald.com/news/2005/12/09/chemical_found_in_fr.php

 

Obesity increases risk of prostate cancer relapse

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 6, 2005 - After surgery to remove a cancerous prostate, the malignancy is more likely to recur among obese men than in those of normal weight, a new study shows.

The effect of obesity on prostate cancer incidence and recurrence is "controversial," Dr. Christopher J. Kane of the University of California at San Francisco and colleagues say in the medical journal Urology. However, they note, two recent look-back studies found recurrence of the disease was more common among obese men.

 To investigate this further, the researchers evaluated data on 2,131 men who had undergone radical prostatectomy, i.e., removal of the prostate. Twelve percent of men developed recurrent disease during follow-up over an average of 23 months.

 There was a significant association between body mass index (BMI) and disease recurrence after factoring in the effect of ethnicity, age and other conditions, the researchers found. Men with BMIs of 35 or greater were 69 percent more likely to have recurrence of prostate cancer than men whose BMIs were 25 or less (normal weight). Men with BMIs greater than 30 had a 31 percent increased risk of recurrence than men with lower BMIs.

 There are a number of potential mechanisms through which obesity could promote prostate recurrence, the researchers note, from the effect of excess fat on hormone levels to the difficulty of operating on obese patients.

 "Obese individuals undergoing radical prostatectomy require vigilant follow-up care," the researchers write. "Continued research is necessary," they add, "to evaluate the efficacy of other treatments in obese patients with prostate cancer, as well as to clarify how prostate cancer recurrence affects survival in obese patients."

 SOURCE: Urology, November 2005. http://today.reuters.com/news

 

FDA Denies Lycopene Supplement Health Claims   By Steven Reinberg

 WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that the antioxidant lycopene is not likely to reduce the risk of cancer.

 Supplement maker American Longevity had sought FDA approval to make cancer-fighting claims for its lycopene supplements. But the agency concluded that "there is no credible evidence to support qualified health claims for lycopene, as a food ingredient, component of food, or as a dietary supplement, and reduced risk of any of the cancers in the petition."

 The malignancies that are supposedly inhibited by lycopene -- an antioxidant found in red fruits such as tomatoes and watermelon -- include prostate, gastric, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. However, for each of these cancers, the FDA said a review of studies found there was "uncertain" or "little scientific evidence" that lycopene conferred any benefits.

 Several years ago, the H.J. Heinz Co. took out full-page ads proclaiming the health benefits of lycopene, and ketchup sales rose 4 percent. The FDA ordered the company to stop the ads because such claims required the agency's approval, according to the Boston Globe.

 The FDA's ability to regulate dietary supplements is limited. The agency can take action against any unsafe dietary supplement after it reaches the market. Manufacturers do not need to register their products with the FDA, or get FDA approval before producing or selling dietary supplements. However, manufacturers must make sure that product labels are "truthful and not misleading."

 The FDA announced its decision on lycopene in a Nov. 8 letter to American Longevity. In response, the San Diego-based company said it would sue the agency within 30 days. "It's a violation of the First Amendment. We have all the evidence to back up our claim, and we should be able to tell the public," said American Longevity spokeswoman Brooke Holve.

 American Longevity fought a similar battle over the cancer-prevention claims made for the mineral selenium. The company's effort got the FDA to change its position in 2003, and it is hoping that the lawsuit will do the same for lycopene, Holve said.

 Holve said the FDA now allows selenium supplements to say on the label that they "may reduce the risk of certain cancers. Some scientific evidence suggests that consumption of selenium may reduce certain forms of cancer." The label must also say: "The FDA has determined that this evidence is limited and not conclusive."

 Dr. Michael Thun, vice president for epidemiology and surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, thinks that the position taken by the FDA on lycopene is well reasoned. "The FDA is beset by companies hoping to make health claims," Thun said. "The FDA's reasoning for the decision was clearly laid out."  

Thun said he also wonders whether the health claims made for lycopene truly come from lycopene. "Foods are complex mixtures, and it is a leap of faith to say that one substance in isolation is the reason for the benefit. In addition, things that come in the context of a complex food are different from things that come in isolation at a different dose," he said.

 The FDA must ensure that health claims, either direct or implied, are adequately supported by evidence, Thun said. "The FDA clearly put a lot of work into this review," he said.

__SOURCES: Brooke Holve, spokeswoman, American Longevity, San Diego, Calif.; Michael Thun, M.D., vice president, Epidemiology and Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society, Atlanta

 

Vitamin E and Prostate Cancer Benefits: Not Fully Resolved

 Newswise — The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended against routine vitamin use to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. The recommendation was based on a series of clinical trials that found that antioxidant supplements do not reduce the risks of these diseases. However, just a few weeks later, results from the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta Carotene (ATBC) Cancer Prevention Trial showed that men with high blood levels of alpha-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) had a lower risk of prostate cancer, reports Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

  “The ATBC research provides some support for vitamin E, but it’s not conclusive,” notes Dr. Harvey Simon, editor in chief of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. “Although it was a well-conducted clinical trial, its primary goal was to evaluate lung cancer. More important, all the subjects were smokers.” A few other studies looked into this matter and found that vitamin E was not consistently beneficial in reducing the risk of prostate cancer in smokers and nonsmokers.

 The relationship between vitamin E and prostate cancer has yet another complexity. Vitamin E consists of a family of chemicals known as tocopherols. Alpha-tocopherol, the form usually found in supplements, is most common. But another tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, which is found in foods but not normally in supplements, may have an impact on prostate cancer. Studies disagree, however, on which form has the greatest effect.

 Should you use antioxidants to reduce your risk of prostate cancer? The Harvard Men’s Health Watch reports that despite the encouraging ATBC results, there is not enough evidence at present to warrant widespread use of any form of vitamin E for prostate cancer risk reduction. But while supplementation does not seem wise, there’s plenty of support for getting lots of antioxidants from foods.

 

Low PSA may not rule out prostate cancer

 NEW YORK - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 28, 2005- Even if patients have relatively low prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, a biological marker for the disease, abnormalities detected by digital rectal examination (DRE) can help identify prostate cancer, re-enforcing the importance of this procedure, new study findings suggest.

 Some doctors believe the use of DRE in patients with low serum PSA levels - lower than 4 ng/mL - is not necessary. To further investigate, Dr. Caleb B. Bozeman and colleagues at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport identified 916 patients with abnormal DRE findings and a PSA level lower than 4.0 ng/mL. Most patients underwent standard rectal biopsies.

 According to the team's paper, published in the medical journal Urology, prostate cancer was diagnosed in 81 men, or 8.8 percent. The investigators found that the predictive value of the DRE increased as PSA levels increased, with cancer detected in 1.8 percent of those with levels between 0.0 and 0.9 ng/mL, versus 21 percent among those with levels between 3.0 and 3.9 ng/mL. Age was also a significant predictor, with cancer diagnosed among 5.4 percent of those younger than 50 years and among 11.3 percent older than 70 years.

 The authors also noted that during surgery, 19 percent of the prostate cancers were diagnosed on the side opposite the original abnormality, defined as "serendipitous detection." "Our study found that the abnormality on the DRE in patients diagnosed with prostate cancer was most likely to represent cancer and thus, in most patients, cancer was not diagnosed serendipitously," Bozeman and his associates write.

 However, they add, "one could argue that patients with abnormal DRE findings and a serum PSA less than 2.0 ng/mL could simply be followed up closely and do not require a prostate biopsy."

 SOURCE: Urology, October 2005   http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1352070

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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 and the Katz Cancer Resource Center for allowing us to use their facility.