Prostate Cancer

Men who need prostate-cancer surgery are increasingly choosing minimally invasive techniques because such surgeries typically lead to shorter hospital stays and a reduced risk of some types of complications. But a new study suggests that the risk of the most serious complications may be higher with the new technology. Minimally invasive forms of radical prostatectomy (in which the prostate gland is removed), often including the use of a robot, are heavily advertised. Procedures relying on robotic surgery have increased from 1% to 40% of all radical prostatectomies from 2001 to 2006 and may be as high as 75% of all prostate cancer surgeries today.

Manny Hamelburg, 68, a retired businessman, had fought prostate cancer for years. First, he tried radiation, then a drug with side effects that nearly killed him, and finally Lupron, a drug that blocks production of testosterone, the hormone that can fuel prostate cancer. The cancer disappeared. But life was miserable. Without normal levels of testosterone, Hamelburg says, he had no energy, and "zero libido for seven years. I was like a eunuch. I was chemically castrated. Sex was just hugs."

Healthy men over 55 who are concerned enough about the risk of prostate cancer to undergo annual PSA screening should consider taking the drug finasteride daily to reduce their risk of developing the disease, according to a new prevention guideline released Tuesday. "If a man is interested enough in being screened, then at least he ought to have the benefits of a discussion" with his doctor about taking the drug, Dr. Barnett S.

A controversial prostate cancer vaccine that previously had been rejected by the Food and Drug Administration improves survival of patients with the advanced form of the disease more than existing treatments and should be brought to market, researchers said Tuesday.

Hope for a better prostate cancer test, potential new uses for a largely discredited lung cancer drug and a warning for breast cancer patients all emerged last week from a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in American men, with an estimated 186,320 cases diagnosed last year.

Radio talk show host Don Imus has plenty of company in his recent prostate cancer diagnosis: The disease strikes 1 in 6 American men. You'd think early screening would be a key preventive tool, but two large studies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week, found that screening had little to no effect on how many men die from prostate cancer.

Scientists have taken a key step toward revealing the causes of prostate cancer, finding that a combination of five gene variants dramatically raises the risk of the disease. Added to family history, they accounted for nearly half of all cases in a study of Swedish men.

Philadelphia Phillies first base coach Davey Lopes, 62, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and team officials said he was expected to make a full recovery. The former Dodgers second baseman and Milwaukee Brewers manager will have surgery this month and is expected to be out for six weeks after that. Lopes' cancer was found after he had a routine examination with the rest of the coaching staff Feb. 12.

Medical castration to treat localized prostate tumors does not prolong survival and its side effects far outweigh any potential benefit for most patients, researchers reported today. The technique, which involves using drugs to block the body's production of the male hormone androgen, is a powerful tool when used in conjunction with surgery or radiation for treating aggressive prostate tumors.

An experimental cancer drug shrank prostate tumors dramatically and more than doubled survival in 70% to 80% of patients with aggressive cancers, British researchers reported Tuesday. Although the study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology covered only 21 patients, the drug is now being tested in more than 250 men with what appears to be similar results, experts said.