*******************

December 2006                                           NEWSLETTER

                                                                                                                                                      Howard Waage  (688-0423) ----Editor

******************************

Happy Holidays

and  best  wishes  for  the  New  Year

We will not be having a December Meeting and our next regular meeting will be held as usual, on the last Tuesday of the month, January 30th at 7 pm to 9 pm. The meeting is in two-story redwood Education Building behind the Santa Cruz Dominican Hospital. We 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

Michael & Julie Batz  724-2701     Lynn Dreeszen 439-8632     Tim Ryan 476-6550

Our website: http://www.scprostate.org   Doug Thornton  724-6446 (Webmaster)

 SUPPORT GROUP FOR MEN WITH ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER

The Advanced support group is for men diagnosed with prostate cancer which has spread outside the prostate or who have experienced a recurrence after primary treatment. Our purpose is to address the special problems and issues of men with advanced prostate cancer.  This group meets every TWO months on the second Monday of the month, at the Katz Cancer Resource Center at Dominican Hospital. If you have any questions, please contact Tony Calvo at 

684-0940. Refreshments provided. 2006 MEETING DATES: MONDAY, 5 – 7PM  DECEMBER 11th

 SUPPORT GROUP FOR WIVES & PARTNERS OF MEN 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. This group meets every TWO months on the second Monday of the month. (same time as the men’s Advanced Prostate Cancer Meeting). For more info or questions, contact Julie Batz at 724-2701. 2006 MEETING DATES: MONDAY,

5 – 7PM DECEMBER 11^th. Katz Resource Center Rm. E (upstairs) - Refreshments provided.

 ….PROSTATE CANCER IN THE NEWS..…

 Antioxidants Complement Cancer Treatment

BOSTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Antioxidants -- such as green tea extract, vitamins C and E -- do not interfere with radiation treatment for cancer, says a U.S. study.

 "This study provides evidence that antioxidants as a complementary therapy in cancer treatment do not interfere with external beam radiation therapy," said lead author Timothy Birdsall, vice president of integrative medicine for

 Cancer Treatment Centers of America. "Antioxidants are one of many complementary and alternative medicine therapies that are crucial in today's fight against cancer."

Researchers at Cancer Treatment Centers of America reviewed PSA levels of prostate cancer patients after receiving radiation therapy. They found no difference between patients taking antioxidants and those who did not. Antioxidants used in the study included green tea extract, melatonin, high-potency multivitamins, vitamin C and vitamin E.

 The study addressed the concern that antioxidants might interfere with cancer cell oxidation levels that contribute to tumor killing by chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

 The findings are scheduled to be presented at the Society of Integrative Oncology's Third International Conference in Boston. Source: http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20061110-054514-9884r

 An Accurate, Straightforward Method To Predict Prostate Cancer Risk

 A novel method for predicting the risk of prostate cancer recurrence following surgery that was developed by urologists at UCSF Medical Center has been validated in a recent study.

(Media-Newswire.com) – (11/16/2006) The new method is named the UCSF Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment

(CAPRA). It is a risk stratification index that produces an easily-calculated score from 0 to 10 to predict the likelihood that men will experience a prostate-specific antigen ( PSA ) recurrence after surgery. Other existing risk-prediction tools, while offering comparable accuracy, have limitations, according to Matthew Cooperberg, MD, MPH, senior resident in urology at UCSF and lead author of the study.

 “The accuracy and simplicity of this index will likely be of significant benefit for prostate cancer research and clinical practice,” said Cooperberg. “The goal was to devise a scoring system that would perform as well as the best available instruments for prediction of biochemical recurrence after prostate surgery, yet would be easier to calculate.” The multi-institutional study appears in the November 15, 2006 issue of Cancer.

 Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in the United States with more than 230,000 new cases diagnosed annually. It is the third leading cause of cancer deaths among men after lung and colorectal cancer. At the time of diagnosis, risk classification for patients based on disease characteristics such as the PSA level and Gleason grade ( a pathologist’s measure of how aggressive tumor cells appear microscopically ) helps identify who should be treated immediately and at what level of intensity, and who may be a candidate for a trial of active surveillance ( i.e., deferred treatment with careful monitoring of PSA and other parameters ).

 In initial development tests that used the community practice-based Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urological Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) registry, the CAPRA score performed as well as the best available risk prediction systems based on a number of preoperative variables, including age, PSA, Gleason grade, tumor stage, and percent of biopsy cores positive, according to Cooperberg. “Using CAPRA, with its straightforward 0 to 10 scoring system, we could easily determine risk of recurrence based on these variables without a calculator, which is a major advantage over existing instruments,” said Cooperberg. “Knowing the score allows us to help counsel patients regarding treatment options.”

 Validation studies to confirm the accuracy of the CAPRA score were conducted over the past year using the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH), a large, socio-demographically diverse cohort of 2,096 patients from 1988 to 2004 with localized prostate cancer who had undergone prostate cancer surgery at four Veterans Affairs medical centers and one active military hospital. Of the more than 2,000 patients enrolled in the database, 1,309 were eligible and were included in the validation analyses. Of the eligible patients, 336 (26 percent) experienced prostate cancer recurrence after surgery.

 “As the CAPRA scores increased, we found that there were consistent increases in rates of adverse pathological outcomes such as extracapsular extension or seminal vesicle invasion, as well as increased likelihood of PSA

recurrence after surgery,” Cooperberg said. Future studies will assess the performance of the CAPRA score among patients undergoing radiation and other non-surgical treatments, and will test the performance of the score in predicting other outcomes such as progression to metastatic disease.

 Co-authors of the study were Stephen J. Freedland, MD, Duke University; David J. Pasta, PhD, and Eric P. Elkin, MPH, UCSF; Joseph C. Presti, Jr., MD, Stanford University School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Christopher L. Amling, MD, San Diego Naval Medical Center; Martha K. Terris, MD, Veterans Affairs Medical

 Center and Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA; William J. Aronson, MD, Veterans Affairs Center Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and UCLA School of Medicine; Christopher Kane, MD, UCSF and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco; and Peter R. Carroll, MD, UCSF. UCSF is a leading university that advances health worldwide by conducting advanced biomedical research, educating graduate students in the life sciences and health professions, and providing complex patient care. Source: http://media-newswire.com/release_1039447.html

Fish Cuts Prostate Cancer Risk

 November 06, 2006 - Men who eat one portion of salmon per week are 43 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer than men who eat no salmon, says a study from Sweden that links the apparent benefits to the omega-3 content of the fish. The study, published online ahead of print in the International Journal of Cancer (doi: 10.1002/ijc.22319), adds to an ever-growing body of science linking omega-3 fatty acids to a wide range of health benefits, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), good development of a baby during pregnancy, joint health, behaviour and mood, and certain cancers.

 Genetics play a role - The researchers, led by Maria Hedelin from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, also found that genetics play a part in the development of the cancer, and also in the potential benefits of the fish oil. “This study shows that there is an interaction between dietary factors and our genes, but it’s always hard to say what role the genes play,” she said. “Omega-3 fatty acids can still be good for men who don’t carry this gene variant in completely different ways.”

 How the study was done - The Swedish researchers assessed dietary fish intake among 1 499 men with prostate cancer and compared this with dietary intake of 1 130 healthy men in the general Swedish population. Genetic variations in a key enzyme in fatty acid metabolism and inflammation, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, were also assessed.

 Hedelin and her co-workers report that men who ate salmon-type fatty fish at least once a week were associated with a 43 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk compared to men who never ate fish.

 They also found a significant interaction between salmon-type fish intake and a single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in a COX-2 gene carried by 60 percent of the population. Carriers of the variant allele who ate one or more oily fish servings per week had an associated reduced prostate cancer risk of 72 percent, while no link was observed among carriers of the more common allele. “Frequent consumption of fatty fish and marine fatty acids appears to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, and this association is modified by genetic variation in the COX-2 gene,” said Hedelin.

 The proposed mechanism - The researchers’ proposed mechanism is that the gene controls the outcome when omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are found in vegetable oils, compete for inclusion in hormone-like substances in the body known as prostaglandins. Prostaglandins derived from omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and may protect against the development of cancer, said the researchers, while prostaglandins derived from omega-6 fatty acids are proposed to be pro-inflammatory.

 The study supports others on the subject. Indeed, a study published in March in the British Journal of Cancer (doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6603030), reported that a metabolite of the omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid (AA), prostaglandin E2, helped the spread of the prostate cancer cells to bone marrow cells. However, when EPA and DHA were present at just half the concentration of the omega-6 fatty acid, this spread of cancer cells was stopped.

Omega ratio important - Another study, published in August in the journal Clinical Cancer Research (Vol. 12, Issue 15), reported that by increasing the omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio in the diet of mice reduced the growth of prostate cancer growth by 22 percent, compared to mice with mostly omega-6 fatty acids in the diet.

 “We may be able to use EPA and DHA supplements while also reducing omega-6 fatty acids in the diet as a cancer prevention tool or possibly to reduce progression in men with prostate cancer,” said the lead researcher of the Clinical Cancer Research study, Professor William Aronson from UCLA.

 The risk of pollutants from oily fish, such a methyl mercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs) have led to some claims to reduce fresh fish intake, especially for pregnant women who may damage the development of their  babies. Such advice has seen the number of omega-3 enriched or fortified products on the market increase. Most extracted fish oil are molecularly distilled and steam deodorized to remove contaminants. - (Decision News Media, November 2006)  Source: http://www.health24.com/news/DietFood_News_Feed/1-3420,38226.asp

Long-Term Hormone Therapy Reduces Metastases in Prostate Cancer: Presented at ASTRO

 By Ed Susman -- November 9, 2006 -- A 10-year follow-up of a major clinical trial reinforces conclusions that prostate cancer patients with advanced disease reduce the risk of disease progression by taking long-term androgen deprivation therapy, researchers said here at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) 42nd annual meeting. "Based on this study, the standard of care for patients with locally advanced, non-metastatic prostate cancer is 2 years of hormone therapy," said Eric Horwitz, MD, clinical director, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "This was the largest study performed that examines the benefits of hormone therapy after radiation treatment for prostate cancer," he said in discussing the updated results of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) protocol 92-02.

 The RTOG cooperative trial enrolled 1,554 men with locally advanced prostate cancer. All patients received 4 months of hormone therapy before and during their radiation treatments. "Our findings confirm what we saw 5 years ago with this study," Dr. Horwitz said in presenting the study results on November 7th. "When it holds up after 10 years, we know it is real."

 After radiation treatment, the patients were randomized into 2 groups, to receive 24 months of additional hormone therapy or no further hormone therapy. "At 10 years, the men receiving an additional 24 months of hormone therapy showed significant benefit over those not taking additional hormone therapy," Dr. Horwitz said.

 The study showed: -- Men with aggressive cancer -- Grade 8 or higher on the Gleason scale -- achieved a significant survival advantage if they were on hormone therapy even longer. If these patients took hormone therapy for 2 years longer than other men, about 45.0% of then were still alive after 10 years compared with 31.9% of these men who had shorter period of androgen deprivation therapy (P = .0061)

 -- Disease-free survival was 22.5% in the hormone therapy group and 13.2% in those who discontinued the therapy (P < .0001).

-- Disease-specific survival was 88.7% for patients on hormone therapy and 83.9% for those not on the therapy (P = .0042).

-- Distant metastases occurred in 14.8% of patients on hormone therapy and 22.8% of patients not on therapy (P < .0001).

 Philip Devlin, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, acting as a spokesperson for ASTRO, commented, "The prospective RTOG study represents the highest level of evidence and indicates that there are certain benefits to receiving androgen deprivation therapy as far as preventing spread of disease and disease progression."

 [Presentation title: Ten Year Follow-Up of RTOG 92-02: A Phase III Trial of the Duration of Elective Androgen Deprivation in Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer. Abstract 22]

Source: http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852571020057CCF68525722100641543

 ******************************

Fair Use Notice: This newsletter may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe that this not-for-profit, educational use constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use any copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

+++++

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 260 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 for our meetings and library materials.