Prostate Cancer Symptoms Tips What is prostate cancer symptoms? We have tips about prostate cancer symptoms

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People who eat baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"This is the first study to establish a direct relationship between fish consumption, brain structure and Alzheimer's risk," said Cyrus Raji, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "The results showed that people who consumed baked or broiled fish at least one time per week had better preservation of gray matter volume on MRI in brain areas at risk for Alzheimer's disease."

Alzheimer's disease is an incurable, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and cognitive skills. According to the National Institute on Aging, as many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer's disease. In MCI, memory loss is present but to a lesser extent than in Alzheimer's disease. People with MCI often go on to develop Alzheimer's disease.

For the study, 260 cognitively normal individuals were selected from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Information on fish consumption was gathered using the National Cancer Institute Food Frequency Questionnaire. There were 163 patients who consumed fish on a weekly basis, and the majority ate fish one to four times per week. Each patient underwent 3-D volumetric MRI of the brain. Voxel-based morphometry, a brain mapping technique that measures gray matter volume, was used to model the relationship between weekly fish consumption at baseline and brain structure 10 years later. The data were then analyzed to determine if gray matter volume preservation associated with fish consumption reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease. The study controlled for age, gender, education, race, obesity, physical activity, and the presence or absence of apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4), a gene that increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Gray matter volume is crucial to brain health. When it remains higher, brain health is being maintained. Decreases in gray matter volume indicate that brain cells are shrinking.

The findings showed that consumption of baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis was positively associated with gray matter volumes in several areas of the brain. Greater hippocampal, posterior cingulate and orbital frontal cortex volumes in relation to fish consumption reduced the risk for five-year decline to MCI or Alzheimer's by almost five-fold.

"Consuming baked or broiled fish promotes stronger neurons in the brain's gray matter by making them larger and healthier," Dr. Raji said. "This simple lifestyle choice increases the brain's resistance to Alzheimer's disease and lowers risk for the disorder."

The results also demonstrated increased levels of cognition in people who ate baked or broiled fish.

"Working memory, which allows people to focus on tasks and commit information to short-term memory, is one of the most important cognitive domains," Dr. Raji said. "Working memory is destroyed by Alzheimer's disease. We found higher levels of working memory in people who ate baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis, even when accounting for other factors, such as education, age, gender and physical activity."

Eating fried fish, on the other hand, was not shown to increase brain volume or protect against cognitive decline.

More on Alzheimer's:

According to statistics from the National Institute on Aging, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in older people. Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease; it is irreversible and causes a decline in memory and cognitive skills.
Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. It is the only cause of death among the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured or even significantly arrested. Two-thirds of people over the age of 65 who have the disease are women. This is a startling statistic, and one that requires increased attention and research.

“Clearly, this is an illness of women more than men,” said Victor Henderson, MD, MS, Professor of Epidemiology and Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University. “In part, it has to do with the fact that women live longer than men. There are real differences in longevity.”

Researchers have long studied the relationship between the hormone estrogen and Alzheimer's disease, but the results have been inconclusive thus far. “There are other risk factors that may come into play,” said Henderson, “which can further explain why women may be predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease.” Some of these factors include: family history, genetics, and some evidence suggests heart disease.

One of the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease may be forgetfulness and difficulty remembering newly learned information. But the disease gradually gets worse. According to the National Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, other symptoms develop over time and may include:
• Challenges in planning or problem solving.
• Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure.
• Confusion with time or place.
• Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.
• New problems with words in speech or writing.
• Misplacing objects and losing the ability to retrace steps.
• Decreased or poor judgment.
• Withdrawal from work or social activities.
• Changes in mood and personality.

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Here's another reason why "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"—according to new research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, oral ingestion of apple polyphenols (antioxidants found in apple peels) can suppress T cell activation to prevent colitis in mice. This study is the first to show a role for T cells in polyphenol-mediated protection against an autoimmune disease and could lead to new therapies and treatments for people with disorders related to bowel inflammation, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

"Many people with colitis use some form of dietary supplement to complement conventional therapies, but most of the information on the health effects of complementary medicine remains anecdotal. Also, little is known about exactly how these therapies work, if they work at all," said David W. Pascual, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. "Our results show that a natural product found in apple peels can suppress colonic inflammation by antagonizing inflammatory T cells to enhance resistance against autoimmune disease."

To make this discovery, scientists used a chemically induced model of colitis with Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), researchers administered an oral placebo to one group of mice, and the other group of mice was given an oral dose of apple polyphenols every day during the course of the disease. Results showed that mice treated orally with apple polyphenols were protected from colitis. Importantly, scientists also found that the treated mice had fewer activated T cells in their colons. In mice lacking T cells, apple polyphenols were unable to protect against colitis or suppress proinflammatory cytokine expression, indicating apple polyphenols protect against colitis via the suppression of T cell activation and/or recruitment.

"It appears that the old adage rings true in more ways than one," said John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, "In addition to the obvious health benefits of the nutrients and fiber in fruits and vegetables, this study indicates that even something as relatively common as the apple contains other healthy ingredients that can have serious therapeutic value."

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Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2011 Focus On Lung Cancer Conference. You can view all the presentations from the conference here. In this blog, she discusses new lung cancer treatments available at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center.

Corey Langer, MD, has been a contributor to the advances that have occurred in treating lung cancer for the last 20 years. He notes that in 1990, a patient diagnosed with advanced lung cancer had few treatment options. And the drugs that were available were highly toxic and generally ineffective.

Today, that picture has improved significantly.

Patients with lung cancer today have the potential for living longer, often years, and enjoying a good quality of life. These improvements are the result of research that has led to a new understanding of the biology of lung cancer, as well as treatment programs that are multidisciplinary and personalized in their approaches.


New Radiation Oncology Treatments for Lung Cancer
For patients with bronchial tumors that can be removed surgically, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has contributed to improved outcomes.

Photodynamic therapy for lung cancer, (PDT) is a radiation oncology treatment that allows physicians to deliver highly targeted doses of anti-cancer drugs while patients are undergoing surgery. PDT is currently used to treat pleural mesothelioma in addition to some lung cancers.

Penn physicians and researchers are working on ways to improve the delivery of photodynamic therapy as well as how to combine it with gene therapy or other radiation oncology therapies for optimal outcomes.

Proton therapy for lung cancer, the most targeted form of radiation therapy, is also showing promise in treating locally advanced lung cancers. Penn has the largest, most comprehensive proton therapy facility in the United States and is actively engaged in developing protocols for the optimal use of this treatment for lung cancer.


New Chemotherapy Treatments for Lung Cancer
For patients who are not surgical candidates or whose cancers recur, the major improvements in treatment are in the form of more effective, less toxic drugs. The most recent therapies target specific gene mutations found in some lung cancer patients.

In 2001, there were no known genetic mutations associated with lung cancer, but today, more than half of the patients with lung cancer have an identifiable gene mutation. This has opened exciting new pathways for treating these cancers.

The most common genetic mutations in lung cancer are the EGRF and KRAS mutations. Recently the EML4/ALK mutation has been found in 5 to 7 percent of patients. Patients who have these mutations often respond very well to targeted therapies. Avastin, which stops the growth of blood vessels that feed the tumor, has also been shown to be effective in treating adenocarcinomas of the lung.

In the last 20 years the options for patients with lung cancer have expanded from few or none to an array of first, second, third and even fourth line therapies, many of which are based on an increasing understanding of the biology of the disease. Lung cancer remains a difficult disease to treat, but the prospects are improving.

Watch all the presentations from the 2011 Focus on Lung Cancer Conference here.

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Using advanced imaging techniques and cognitive tests, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center , the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, have shown that repeatedly heading a soccer ball increases the risk for brain injury and cognitive impairment. The imaging portion of the findings was presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago.

The researchers used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), an advanced MRI-based imaging technique, on 38 amateur soccer players (average age: 30.8 years) who had all played the sport since childhood. They were asked to recall the number of times they headed the ball during the past year. (Heading is when players deliberately hit or field the soccer ball with their head.) Researchers ranked the players based on heading frequency and then compared the brain images of the most frequent headers with those of the remaining players. They found that frequent headers showed brain injury similar to that seen in patients with concussion, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The findings are especially concerning given that soccer is the world's most popular sport with popularity growing in the U.S., especially among children. Of the 18 million Americans who play soccer, 78 percent are under the age of eighteen. Soccer balls are known to travel at speeds as high as 34 miles per hour during recreational play, and more than twice that during professional play.

After confirming the potentially damaging impact of frequent heading, "Our goal was to determine if there is a threshold level for heading frequency that, when surpassed, resulted in detectable brain injury," said lead author Michael Lipton, M.D., Ph.D. , associate director of Einstein's Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center and medical director of MRI services at Montefiore. Further analysis revealed a threshold level of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 heads per year. Once players in the study exceeded that number, researchers observed significant injury.

"While heading a ball 1,000 or 1,500 times a year may seem high to those who don't participate in the sport, it only amounts to a few times a day for a regular player," observed Dr. Lipton, who is also associate professor of radiology, of psychiatry and behavioral sciences ), and of the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience at Einstein.

"Heading a soccer ball is not an impact of a magnitude that will lacerate nerve fibers in the brain," said Dr. Lipton. "But repetitive heading may set off a cascade of responses that can lead to degeneration of brain cells."

Researchers identified five areas, in the frontal lobe (behind the forehead) and in the temporo-occipital region (the bottom-rear areas) of the brain that were affected by frequent heading – areas that are responsible for attention, memory, executive functioning and higher-order visual functions. In a related study, Dr. Lipton and colleague Molly Zimmerman, Ph.D. , assistant professor in the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology at Einstein, gave the same 38 amateur soccer players tests designed to assess their neuropsychological function. Players with the highest annual heading frequency performed worse on tests of verbal memory and psychomotor speed (activities that require mind-body coordination, like throwing a ball) relative to their peers.

"These two studies present compelling evidence that brain injury and cognitive impairment can result from heading a soccer ball with high frequency," Dr. Lipton said. "These are findings that should be taken into consideration in planning future research to develop approaches to protect soccer players."

Heading is an essential part of soccer and is unlikely to be eliminated from practice or play.

As there appears to be a safe range for heading frequency, additional research can help refine this number, which can then be used to establish heading guidelines. As in other sports, the frequency of potentially harmful actions in practice and games could be monitored and restricted based on confirmed unsafe exposure thresholds.

"In the past, pitchers in Little League Baseball sustained shoulder injuries at a rate that was alarming," Dr. Lipton noted. "But ongoing research has helped shape various approaches, including limits on the amount of pitching a child performs, which have substantially reduced the incidence of these injuries."

"Brain injury due to heading in children, if we confirm that it occurs, may not show up on our radar because the impairment will not be immediate and can easily be attributed to other causes like ADHD or learning disabilities," continued Dr. Lipton. "We, including the agencies that supervise and encourage soccer play, need to do the further research to precisely define the impact of excessive heading on children and adults in order to develop parameters within which soccer play will be safe over the long term."

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Eating a Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity can help to improve some of the symptoms of sleep apnea, according to new research. The study, which is published online in the European Respiratory Journal, looked at the impact a Mediterranean diet can have on obese people with sleep apnea, compared to those on a prudent diet.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) causes frequent pauses of breathing to occur during sleep, which disrupts a person's normal sleeping pattern. It is one of the most prevalent sleep-related breathing disorders with approximately 2-4% of the adult population experiencing the condition. This percentage increases up to 20-40% with obesity, and weight loss is often an essential part of the recommended treatment plan.

The researchers, from the University of Crete in Greece, examined 40 obese patients suffering from OSAS. Twenty patients were given a prudent diet to follow, while the other 20 followed a Mediterranean diet. Both groups were also encouraged to increase their physical activity, mainly involving walking for at least 30 minutes each day.

In both groups, the patients also received continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy which involves wearing a mask that generates an air stream, keeping the upper airway open during sleep.

The researchers monitored the patients during a sleep study, known as polysomnography. This involved monitoring several markers for OSAS, including electrical activity in the brain, eye movements and snoring. The patients were examined at the start of the study and again 6 months later.

The results showed that people following the Mediterranean diet had a reduced number of disturbances, known as apneas, during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, which usually accounts for approximately 25% of total sleep during the night.

The findings also revealed that people following the Mediterranean diet also showed a greater adherence to the calorie restricted diet, an increase in physical activity and a greater decrease in abdominal fat.

The results of this small sample did show an improvement during one stage of sleep for people with sleep apnea, however it did not show an overall improvement in severity of the condition. The authors suggest that further studies in a larger sample are required to fully understand the benefits of this diet.

Christopher Papandreou, lead author for the research, said: "This is the first study examining the impact of the Mediterranean diet in combination with physical activity on OSAS via changes in the human body. Our results showed that the number of disturbances during REM sleep was reduced more in the Mediterranean diet group than the other group. Recent reports have related an increase in disturbances during REM sleep with the risk of developing significant systemic consequences like diabetes type II. However, its clinical significance remains unclear. Finally, more studies are needed to examine the effect of the above diet on this sleep-related breathing disorder taking into account its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties."

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2011 CANPrevent Lung Cancer Conference. You can view all the presentations from the conference here. In this blog, she discusses a presentation from Drew Torigian, MD, MA, about the National Lung Screening Trial, which compared cancer screens to detect lung cancer early.

Experts agree that if cancer is detected early, a patient has a better chance of recovery. The goal of detecting lung cancer early, however, has been elusive. 

Study after study has shown that standard chest X-rays do not detect early lung cancers. This is true even when X-rays are given on a regular basis to those at high risk for developing lung cancer. 

So how can lung cancer be caught earlier? And how can lung cancer deaths be prevented?

Lung cancer remains the second most common cancer in this country and the most common cause of cancer deaths. Additionally, lung cancer rates continue to rise in many countries around the world.


CT Scans for Lung Cancer
Computed tomography (CT) scans for cancer are more sensitive in finding lung abnormalities, and better able to detect more and smaller lesions. CT scans are, however, a more expensive technology than chest X-rays. They can also be non-specific in determining if abnormalities are lung cancers are benign nodules. 

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) compared two ways of detecting lung cancer in high-risk smokers: low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) and standard chest X-ray.

The study aimed to find it is possible to detect lung cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage, and whether such screening would decrease cancer deaths.  

Drew Torigian, MD, MA, associate professor of radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, served as principle investigator at Penn for this national study, which involved more than 53,000 patients in 33 different sites. He described the results of this trial, the largest, most expensive randomized screening trial ever conducted, at the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2011 CANPrevent Lung Cancer Conference.

All clinical trials have a specific primary endpoint or goal by which success is measured. For the NLST, that goal was to determine if low dose CT screening could reduce the death rate from lung cancer among heavy smokers. Patients enrolled in the trial were current or past heavy smokers between the ages of 55 and 74. Half received regular chest X-rays while the other half received helical CT scans over a period of three years.

The results were encouraging.

CT scanning detected significantly more cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions than chest X-rays. However, finding lesions isn't enough. The study had to demonstrate early detection actually saved lives.Preliminary results of the study showed 87 more lives were spared by helical CT as compared to chest X-rays, which translates into a 20 percent reduction in the death rate.

While the NLST results are positive, Dr. Torigian points out there are many questions that still need to be addressed and answered before low-dose, helical CT scanning can be considered a standard screening procedure. Many of these questions relate to the overall costs and cost-effectiveness of implementing CT scanning programs, such as:

• Who should be get a cancer screen?
• How often should they be scanned?
• At what age should screening begin?
• Will insurance cover helical CT scanning?
• How many screenings are needed?
• What is the impact, both in cost and on the health of the participants of the high rate of false positives (non-cancerous, and generally non-clinically important lesions) found in CT screening?
• Are there biomarkers that will allow better targeting of populations that will benefit from this type of screening?

There are social policy questions as well, including the impact of undergoing CT screening on smoking behavior. Does the screening encourage people to quit, or give them a false sense of security?

Dr. Torigian stressed the unanswered questions do not detract from the importance of finding better ways to detect early lung cancers. Lung cancer is a global epidemic, and finding more early stage cancers will lead to better outcomes in treating lung cancer.

Watch all the presentations from the 2011 CANPrevent Lung Cancer Conference here.

Learn more about lung cancer treatment at the Abramson Cancer Center.

The Young Friends of the Abramson Cancer Center are having a unique play date on Sunday, December 4, 2011 at Please Touch Museum.

The Young Friends of the Abramson Cancer Center is a dedicated group of men and women under the age of 50 who serve as the next generation of leadership volunteers and donors to Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center.

Young Friends supports the work of young cancer researchers and clinicians, whose brilliant ideas often go unrealized because of a lack in funding. Young Friends provides a forum for becoming more engaged with the mission of the cancer center and staying informed about the latest advances in prevention, detection and treatment of cancer.

The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia was the first museum in the nation whose target audience is families with children under the age of seven. Its mission is to enrich the lives of children by creating learning opportunities through play, and lays the foundation for a lifetime of learning and cultural awareness.

This event takes place prior to the museum’s opening to the general public at 11 am, and promises to be a less crowded Please Touch experience.

Entertain your children and support a great cause at the same time:

Date: Sunday December 4, 2011
Time: 9 to 11 am
Location: Please Touch Museum, Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Cost: $25 per person ($10 tax deductible), which includes admission, parking, carousel rides, and a discount coupon to the café. Children under 1 are free.

Click here to register for this event.

For more information about this event, please contact Michal Greenberg at michalg@upenn.edu or 215-573-2480.

Learn more information about the Young Friends of Abramson Cancer Center.

Make a gift to the Young Friends of the Abramson Cancer Center here.

Want protection from prostate cancer symptoms? A new study finds that men who consume coffee (decaf or caffeinated) on a regular basis appear to have a lower risk of this disease, especially the more deadly form. One of the benefits of coffee is it's delicious taste, however coffee is also a very complicated drink, with lots of chemicals we know about, and some we don't fully understand yet.

Official figures from show 217,730 men were diagnosed with cancer of the prostate last year. Almost 32,000 men lost their lives to this cancer in 2010, supporting the notion that prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in men of every age.

Prostate cancer, rare in men under 40, starts in the prostate gland, a tiny, walnut sized structure that's part of the reproductive system. The PSA test continues to be the standard for screening for prostate cancer, and offers the chance to find these cancers early, when they are most effectively treated.

The researchers followed over 47,911 male subjects who took part in a lengthy, well-respected study.

The participants, all men, reported on how much coffee they consumed, both decaf and caffeinated, from 1986 and for every four years since. By 2006, over 5,000 men had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, including 542 with the most deadly types of this cancer. Was there an association between coffee and cancer of the prostate?

When the team looked at all types of cancer of the prostate, they saw that those who drunk the most coffee had a 20% reduced chance of prostate cancer over the study follow up period. The lower risk was seen in those drinking 6 (or more) cups per day, compared to those who drank no coffee each day.

Something else - coffee gave even more protection against the most deadly type of prostate cancer. For those who drank up to three cups on a daily basis, the risk of this type of cancer went down 29%, when compared to non-drinkers. For the subjects who drank 6 or more cups per day, the risk for the most deadly form of the cancer dropped 60% when compared to those who drank no coffee at all.

Hard to argue with those numbers, isn't it?

Even more intriguing, the reduction in risk held for both decaf and caffeinated coffee. And while it might not be the caffeine that provides the benefit, researchers aren't sure just what the protective element is, though the antioxidants in the coffee are a likely candidate. Or it might be substances that bring down inflammation, also tied to an increased risk of cancer of the prostate. Perhaps compounds that help to regulate insulin levels may be involved, as inflated insulin levels have also been associated with an increased chance of this potential deadly cancer.

So should a man worried about his risk start drinking coffee?

According to researchers it's probably too early for men to make that change in order to cut the risk of this type of cancer.

But it is good news for those who are already drinking at least one or more cups of either type of coffee each day. The study shows that even those who shouldn't drink caffeinated coffee can enjoy the benefits (via decaf) of in terms of prostate cancer benefits.

More work needs to be done in terms of the deadly types of prostate cancer symptoms and the benefits of coffee. We do know that smoking and being in the obese category are already tied to an increased chance of prostate cancer, so it is on these habits that you'll want to put most of your focus, but for those who enjoy a steaming cup of, delicious coffee regularly, you've now been given another reason to drink up.

FREE Bonus Secret Health Reports - For a limited time you can grab 5 FREE essential health reports from the Daily Health Bulletin. Click through now to find out more about how to prevent prostate cancer symptoms naturally.

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The HIFU procedure is minimally invasive and utilizes a transrectal probe to guarantee total focus of all ultrasound waves onto the prostate and the targeted location. The Sonablate 500 elevates temperature, causing the breakdown of tissue along the prostate. After two to four hours, the procedure is done and the patient can leave the hospital. The advantages associated with the Sonablate 500 for HIFU are numerous and it is therefore considered the most widely used HIFU treatments available.

The Sonablate 500 procedure is an out-patient one, meaning that there is no required hospital stay. There is no need for surgery and it only uses invasive procedures that do not cause harm to the individual. Due to the probe and transducer focal length design, the Sonablate 500 provides a full therapy zone of up to 120 degrees. With this enlarged zone, physicians have the capability necessary to gain quick access to the entire prostate gland without repositioning the probe.

The Sonablate 500 provides physicians with amazing imaging of the prostate gland and surrounding area. Through the utilization of real time images and quick reference points, the physician obtains immediate feedback enabling them with maximum precision during the procedure. By using superior imaging, the physician is able to customize a plan of attack specifically for that patient. The Sonablate 500 also offers three-dimensional imaging. This further allows the physician to plan an accurate treatment route to all the targeted areas along the prostate gland.

When it comes to prostate cancer procedures, one of the major concerns on the minds of men is impotency. They have heard of procedures being done where the man ends up suffering from erectile dysfunction. This can make any man worry about going under a procedure. However, they do not need to worry with the Sonablate 500. Due to the integrated hardware and software, the Sonablate 500 is able to find all the neurovascular bundles and blood flow in the area. Due to the precision of this device, the physician can avoid the neurovascular bundles and prevent nerve damage that may cause impotency.

Before the Sonablate 500, a number of machines were not able to provide physicians with the ability to alter the power level. All patients were treated using the same power level despite their personal situation. The manufacturers of Sonablate 500 provide physicians with the ability to adjust the level of power for customization and safety purposes. As well, previous machines before the Sonablate 500, there was minimal control when it came to positioning and placing the probe because it was stationary. However, the Sonablate 500 enables physicians to adjust the probe for comfort and optimal outcome.

There is no doubt that the Sonablate 500 used for HIFU for men needing prostate cancer treatment is the best, most accurate treatment method available today. The lesions remain small and the whole prostate area can be treated. Numerous hospitals in Manassas are using them today for prostate cancer patients.

Dr. Anshu Guleria was hand selected by the Board of Directors of International HIFU to be one of a select number of doctors approved to perform HIFU with the Sonablate 500.
Dr. Guleria is in private practice in Manassas, and Gainesville, VA. He is Past-Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Prince William Hospital. He was also the Chief of the Section of Urology and serves on the Cancer Committee at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital.
For more information go to http://www.virginiaprostatecancer.com/.

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While many men cite that it is not a very fun procedure, prostate checkups are extremely important to ensure health and wellness. A prostate checkup is also referred to as a digital rectal exam and usually involves a medical professional inserting a gloved and lubricated finger into the man's rectum. During this examination, medical professionals are looking for abnormalities along the prostate, such as lumps, bumps and spots. The exam may not indicate what is wrong, but it does answer the question if further testing must take place.

According to the National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions, men at the age of 40 and on should have regular, annual prostate checkups. As men become older, they become prone to a number of diseases. There are two main reasons for the checkup. For one, medical professionals can check for benign prostatic hyperplasia as well as prostatitis. Benign prostatic hyperplasia refers to an enlarged prostate which can compress the urethra, causing bladder retention. Prostatitis refers to the inflammation of the prostate. A prostate checkup will tell the medical professional that prostatitis exists; however, further checking will determine whether it is acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic prostatitis without infection, or asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis. Whichever one it is, the medical professional will be able to dictate the right course of treatment.

Prostate checkups are also the best form of early detection for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is extremely common and approximately one out of six men will be diagnosed with this form of cancer in their life. The early stages of prostate cancer are known to be asymptomatic and can only be detected with a prostate examination. Many men can lives years without ever noticing until it is too late. If detected early enough with this checkup, prostate cancer can be cured and survival rates go way up.

There are a number of factors that may put some men more at risk for prostate cancer than others, including age, family history of cancer, hereditary, lifestyle and race. If a family has a history of prostate cancer, it is extremely important that they get checked as well. And while men cannot control their heredity, age, family history and race, they can control their lifestyle. A number of cases of cancer have been linked with obesity. Therefore, maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle will lower one's risk of prostate cancer...not to mention a number of other health conditions.

Aside from the prostate, the prostate checkup can find a number of other health concerns. This can include the inspection and evaluation of hemorrhoids and tumors in the area. If a man has a neurological disease or fecal incontinence, a prostate checkup is often utilized to estimate the overall tonicity of the man's anal sphincter.

The significance of a yearly prostate checkup can never be stressed enough. Numerous men die every year due to prostate cancer, which could have been evaded with a simple prostate checkup with their doctor.

Central Maryland Urology Associates (CMUA) HIFU Center was established in 2010 for the treatment of localized prostate cancer using HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound).Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in men, and is the second leading cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer.

The CMUA HIFU Center is headed by Dr. Kevin Blumenthal, one of only a select few urologists trained in HIFU in the entire Mid-Atlantic region.

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Thanksgiving is over, and perhaps the best thing about the Thanksgiving dinner is the leftovers. But, it's important to make sure leftovers and any perishable food follows safe food storage guidelines.

Food safety following basic food safety guidelines minimizes individual's risk of contracting food borne illnesses (commonly referred to as "food poisoning). This concept is particularly important for cancer patients whose immune systems are suppressed when undergoing active treatment.

Here are some helpful tips to remember when storing food in the refrigerator.

Refrigerator safety:

• Always refrigerate perishable food within two hours (one hour when the temperature is above 90°F).
• Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
• Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below.
• Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within two days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within three to five days.
• Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food. Always store these on the lowest shelf possible, to further eliminate any change of juices dripping onto other food items.

Information adapted from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service “Safe Food Handling Fact Sheet."

Content provided by the Joan Karnell Cancer Center

Cancer is a condition that none of us would ever want to have. No matter how healthy you think you are, there is always that remote possibility that you would contract cancer. In the case of prostate cancer, men are obviously the ones that are affected. In this article, we would be discussing the basics of prostate cancer, it's most common signs and symptoms and the diagnostic procedures employed to identify the condition.

Cancer of the prostate gland happens when cancer cells develop in the prostate. This is a gland found at the bottom of the urinary bladder. A normal sized prostate would be around the size of a walnut. As men grow older, it is normal for the prostate to also enlarge. However, abnormal enlargement of the prostate that is caused by imbalances in the hormones is called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH. This is different from prostate cancer in a way that BPH can be operated on and does not metastasize. Treatment for prostate cancer would involve the use of surgery, chemotherapeutic drugs and/or radiation.

In prostate cancer, cancer cells gather in the area and slowly grow into a cancerous tumor. The cancer cells might have been there for a while before any symptoms become evident. However, not all symptoms are similar and not all cancer cells act the same way. There are those that proliferate fast, while there are others that progress more slowly. The aggressiveness of cancer growth can be measured by the Gleason Score.

Though both cancer of the prostate gland and benign prostatic hyperplasia increase the size of the prostate, medical findings state that they are not related. Factors that might predispose a person to getting prostate cancer would be the following: age, gender, genetics, race, hormones and exposure to toxins.

It is best to know which prostate cancer symptoms to watch out for so that you would be able to get consultation at the soonest time possible. A person with suspected prostate cancer would be found to have a hard nodule in the prostate area during a routine digital rectal exam. In some cases, where the cancer is in its advanced stages, the prostate may become too enlarged that they would impede the flow of urine. For others, they would notice blood in their urine, also called hematuria. This bleeding is painless, a very common sign of cancer. These are the most common symptoms of cancer and this usually prompts patients to seek consultation.

Screening for cancer of the prostate gland would involve getting blood work done. The technologist would be looking for the cancer marker PSA or prostate specific antigen. A result that is higher than 4ng/ml is usually observed in people with prostate cancer.

A digital rectal exam was mentioned earlier. During this exam, an enlarged prostate would be felt by the examiner, and this would prompt for further evaluation.

A biopsy is needed to make an accurate conclusion of prostate cancer. A tissue sample would be sent to the laboratory and they would be testing the sample for cancer cells.

In this day and age of increased pollution and free radicals, cancer is something that most of us are most prone to. It is best to get regular testing in order to spot the disease as soon as possible.

For more information on Different Types of Diseases, Symptoms and Diagnoses, Please visit: Prostate Cancer Symptoms and Hypothyroid Symptoms.

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If you are a man, or if you are a woman who has a special man in your life, here are some key statistics everyone should know about prostate cancer.

* There are more than 30 million men that suffer from some form of prostate condition that negatively affects their quality of life.

* It is now the most common form of cancer among all men, except skin cancer.

* The American Cancer Society estimates that the number of new diagnoses in the U.S. averages around 190,000 each year.

* And each year there are approximately 30,000 men that die from prostate cancer.

* Black men are 3 times more likely to have it than white men! And twice as likely to die from it!

These statistics are very alarming, and pretty grim. The bottom line with prostate cancer in black men is that they get it more, and they die from it more.

However, there is another statistic that is even more alarming!

* With early detection the survival rate of prostate cancer is well over 90%!

So the basic question is simply what group of statistics do you want to be in?

We know that a big part of the issue is a general lack of knowledge about this cancer. In fact, many men are honest enough to admit they are not even exactly sure of what the prostate is?

Basically the prostate is a small gland that is very similar in appearance, size, and the shape of a walnut. Even the medical profession is not 100% sure of everything that the prostate does, but one of the main functions for certain is that it helps produce, and store, semen.

It is located directly below the bladder and completely surrounds the urethra tube which carries urine out of your body. So it is a small gland that is located in an extremely delicate place in the male body.

Many in the medical profession agree that for such a small gland, it can cause very big problems for men. The prostate can develop cancer, and the questions are: Is it a slow growing cancer? Or could it be a fast growing cancer that will eventually spread throughout the body?

As long as the cancer cells stay, and are contained within the prostate, it presents few noticeable issues at all! Which is why, if it is an elderly man in his late 60s, or beyond, the doctor may decide to just monitor it and do nothing at all if it is showing no signs of growing, or spreading.

However, for younger men, there is simply an expectation of a lot more remaining years in life. Therefore waiting and monitoring is usually not an option.

If the cancer spreads outside the prostate it quickly affects all the other nearby organs. The reality now is that you have cancer throughout your body. Once this happens treatment options are very limited. So the key is early testing... early diagnoses... and early treatment!

And now we come to the question: Why is prostate cancer in black men higher than other men and nearly 3 times as high as white men? As usual there is research, and data, that shows there's a connection between prostate cancer and diet. Unhealthy eating habits, high saturated fats, low fruits and vegetables, etc. We've all been hearing this for decades.

But what is very interesting is that studies have shown in places like Africa, China, Japan, etc., where they eat the traditional diets of the areas, have very low occurrences of prostate cancer. However in those country's major cities where McDonalds, Pizza Huts, KFC, and other fast food chains have opened up, and people are eating a more American style diet, the prostate cancer rates have increased.

For some reasons, the medical profession seems reluctant to draw a direct connection. But we can all make our own conclusions from this.

So in America, for whatever the reasons are, the fact is that more black people are poor and subsequently eat a poor diet. And it's a part of the reason for more black men with prostate cancer.

Another reason, which most of us already know, is that men in general are more reluctant to go to a doctor or seek medical treatment. This is especially true for black men.

So they are least likely to go get check ups, annual exams, testing, screenings, etc. Typically men, and especially black men, won't go see a doctor until something becomes unbearable. And in the case of prostate cancer this is usually too late.

There is a very good indicator that all of this is true... and that is the Armed Forces. In the military everybody is required to have regular medical exams. People in the military also tend to eat a little better diet. And all across the board the occurrences of black men with prostate cancer is significantly lower in the military compared to black men and prostate cancer in the general society.

In conclusion the basic recommendations are similar to what we all already know. First, start eating healthier. Information for this can truly be found everywhere!

Second, if you are a black man over the age of 35 you should get tested for prostate cancer. The first step is a simple test called the PSA which is just a blood screening. All they will do for this test is simply draw some blood! There are many places in major communities in that offer this for free.

Info USA1 researches, compiles, analyzes and reports educational resources, and information nationwide for the everyday American consumer. For more information, and to obtain an education ebook guide for black men prostate cancer. Please visit our web page African American Prostate Cancer

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