Women urged: Fight for your man’s prostate

MANILA, Philippines—Women fighting for the early detection of prostate cancer?

Since men are deemed too stubborn to have themselves checked, women have been targeted to lead the fight against the third cause of death among Filipino men.

Spearheaded by Janssen Phils. and Healthway Medical Clinics, the campaign “Fight for your Man” reaches out to women to get the men in their lives who are at least 40 years old and have a family history of prostate cancer to have themselves screened for the disease.

Sonia Roco, whose husband Sen. Raul Roco died from complications of prostate cancer on Aug. 5, 2005, said she was working on an advocacy campaign for awareness of the disease because that was what her husband had wanted to do.


“More lives could be saved by early detection if the men would cooperate. They hate going to hospitals to see a doctor,” she said.

The late senator, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996, kept his condition a secret. He went into remission following treatment.

His wife attributed the recurrence of the cancer to the stress of running for president in 1998 and 2004.

“By 2004, he was beginning to feel pain all over. He was in the mountains in Mindanao in the middle of the campaign when he said the pain was getting to be unbearable. We came back and fought till the end,” she said.

Dr. Josephine Tolentino, an oncologist who heads the prostate screening campaign, said that while prostate cancer remained the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men, poverty and poor health service delivery contributed to a low level of consciousness about it.

“So we promote awareness to get them to do a regular screening. But in our culture, men are afraid of going to doctors because they don’t want to know they are sick. So we talk to the wife, sister, daughter, granddaughter. We ask them to intervene,” Tolentino said.

Urologist Dr. Jaime Songco said the risk of developing prostate cancer increased with age.

He said the initial symptoms, which do not show up in the early stage, are a weak and reduced urine flow, urinating more often, especially at night, and difficulty passing urine.

As the prostate cancer advances, the symptoms would include lower urinary tract problems, blood in the urine and painful urination. In the advanced stage, the patient begins to feel bone pain.

“We have to create a foundation, an advocacy group to support educating the men because right now, there’s no [advocacy group among] men,” Songco said.

“So if you have men in your lives, have them screened because in the early stages it’s really curable,” he said.

The tests used to diagnose prostate cancer include urine tests, ultrasound and the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

More evidence of prostate cancer, omega-3 link

WASHINGTON—US scientists said Wednesday they have confirmed a surprising 2011 study that found a higher risk of prostate cancer among men who consume omega-3 fatty acids, raising new questions about the safety of supplements.

The research in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported a 71 percent higher risk for dangerous high-grade prostate cancer among men who ate fatty fish or took fish-oil supplements, which are often touted for their anti-inflammatory properties.

“We’ve shown once again that use of nutritional supplements may be harmful,” said Alan Kristal, researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and senior author of the paper.

Scientists are still puzzled as to why omega-3s appear linked to a greater risk of prostate cancer, but they said the findings suggest they are somehow involved in the formation of tumors.

The same team of researchers published similar findings in 2011, linking high blood concentrations of DHA to a more than double risk of high-grade prostate cancer, which is more likely to be fatal than other types.

A large European study also found the same omega-3 and prostate cancer link.

“The consistency of these findings suggests that these fatty acids are involved in prostate tumorigenesis and recommendations to increase long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake, in particular through supplementation, should consider its potential risks,” the US study said.

The difference in blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids between the highest and lowest risk groups was about 2.5 percentage points (3.2 percent vs. 5.7 percent), or just higher than the effect of eating salmon twice a week, Kristal said.

The latest study was based on an analysis of specimens and data from a large randomized, controlled trial that tested whether selenium and vitamin E would reduce prostate cancer risk.

The trial, known as SELECT (the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial), found that vitamin E raised the prostate cancer risk and selenium showed no impact either way.

For the July 11 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers analyzed the data on 834 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and compared them to a random sample of 1,393 taken from the SELECT trial.

Those who had high blood concentrations of the fatty acids EPA, DPA and DHA were shown to have a 71 percent increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

The increased risk of low grade prostate cancer was 44 percent higher in those with elevated fatty acid levels, and the combined risk was 43 percent for all prostate cancers.

Due to the nature of the study, it was not possible to tell for certain whether the elevated blood levels were due to men taking supplements or eating fish rich in omega-3s.

However, Franklin Lowe, associate director of the department of urology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, said the findings should remind consumers that supplements may not help, and may even do harm.

“In general, there is nothing that has been proven to actually limit the risk of prostate cancer,” said Lowe, who was not involved in the study.

“For the most part, doctors do not recommend this stuff because it is unclear what the true benefits are for most of the supplements that people take.”—Kerry Sheridan

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

US study raises alarm on omega-3

WASHINGTON—US scientists say they have confirmed a surprising 2011 study that found a higher risk of prostate cancer among men who consume omega-3 fatty acids, raising new questions about the safety of supplements.

The research in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported a 71 percent higher risk for dangerous high-grade prostate cancer among men who ate fatty fish or took fish-oil supplements, which are often touted for their anti-inflammatory properties.

“We’ve shown once again that use of nutritional supplements may be harmful,” said Alan Kristal, researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and senior author of the paper.

Scientists are still puzzled as to why omega-3s appear linked to a greater risk of prostate cancer, but they said the findings suggested they were somehow involved in the formation of tumors.

The same team of researchers published similar findings in 2011, linking high blood concentrations of DHA to a more than double risk of high-grade prostate cancer, which is more likely to be fatal than other types.



Potential risks

A large European study also found the same omega-3 and prostate cancer link.

“The consistency of these findings suggests that these fatty acids are involved in prostate tumorigenesis and recommendations to increase long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake, in particular through supplementation, should consider its potential risks,” the US study said.

The difference in blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids between the highest and lowest risk groups was about 2.5 percentage points (3.2 percent vs 5.7 percent), or just higher than the effect of eating salmon twice a week, Kristal said.



Controlled trial

The latest study was based on an analysis of specimens and data from a large randomized, controlled trial that tested whether selenium and vitamin E would reduce prostate cancer risk.

The trial, known as Select (the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial), found that vitamin E raised the prostate cancer risk and selenium showed no impact either way.

For the July 11 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers analyzed the data on 834 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and compared them to a random sample of 1,393 taken from the Select trial.

Increased risk

Those who had high blood concentrations of the fatty acids EPA, DPA and DHA were shown to have a 71 percent increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

The increased risk of low-grade prostate cancer was 44 percent higher in those with elevated fatty acid levels, and the combined risk was 43 percent for all prostate cancers.

Due to the nature of the study, it was not possible to tell for certain whether the elevated blood levels were due to men taking supplements or eating fish rich in omega-3s.

Benefits unclear

However, Franklin Lowe, associate director of the department of urology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, said the findings should remind consumers that supplements may not help, and may even do harm.

“In general, there is nothing that has been proven to actually limit the risk of prostate cancer,” said Lowe, who was not involved in the study.

“For the most part, doctors do not recommend this stuff because it is unclear what the true benefits are for most of the supplements that people take.”

source: business.inquirer.net

Ramone memoir reveals charming, grumpy punk icon

NEW YORK - Johnny Ramone, guitarist for seminal punk band the Ramones, pioneered a fast, no-nonsense sound that made him one of the most influential guitarists of all time.

"Commando: the Autobiography of Johnny Ramone," released nearly 8 years after Ramone, born John Cummings, died of prostate cancer at age 55, reads like a Ramones song: short and to the point, but with plenty of color to keep things interesting.

The book, recently published by Abrams Image, was written from a series of interviews Ramone gave in the final years of his life for the purposes of a memoir.

"He wanted to have his last words because he knew he was dying and he was always kind of a misunderstood character," Ramone's wife, Linda Cummings Ramone, said in an interview.

Linda enlisted author and former Black Flag singer, Henry Rollins, as well as her manager, John Cafiero, to put together the 176-page book, which is peppered with photos and collected memorabilia.

The result is a raw telling of Ramone's life story, from a blue collar New York upbringing playing baseball and roughing up neighborhood kids, to early Ramones gigs with Blondie and The Talking Heads at punk-rock bastion venue CBGBs.

It also sheds light on the ongoing tensions that took place within the band, and his more than 20-year romance with Linda, who once dated his former friend and bandmate Joey Ramone.

"When I left Joey to go with Johnny, it was intense, because nobody wanted the band to break up. The band was always first," Linda said.

"Joey and Johnny didn't talk. Did I have something to do with it? Well, yeah, of course, a bit, but musically Joey and Johnny were growing apart. That was more the tension in the band," she added, citing a 1994 Christmas card shown in the book that Joey sent Johnny, a gesture Linda said showed how those tensions had thawed toward the end.

Other parts of the book detail Ramone's thoughts on his famously brash personality, his sometimes meticulous nature and musical inspirations.

While Ramone described himself in the book as an angry person for much of his life, beginning as "the terror of the neighborhood," he also lets on that his favorite place on earth was Disney World, and when he listened to music, chances were he was listening to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, or Elvis.

He was also a fastidious saver and was planning for retirement even before the first Ramones show in 1974. Following the band's last performance, in 1996 at the Hollywood Palace, the Ramones were making more money than when they were together, having established fans around the world.

Down-pick

One of those fans was Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett. He said he first heard the Ramones in 1977 when he was 14 years old and Ramones standards "Sheena is Punk Rocker," "Rockaway Beach," and "Blitzkrieg Bop" all played on the radio within a week.

"I was hooked," he told Reuters, adding that Ramones had an enormous impact on the way he plays guitar.

Hammett first met Ramone in 1986 at a comic book convention and the two later became close friends. He said he asked Ramone why it was he always down-picked, rather than strumming the guitar in a typical up-and-down style. Ramone, who was self-taught, said it was just to keep time.

"I thought to myself, 'Wow, something as simple as that was the basis of his style that went on to create the basis of punk rock and heavy metal'."

Other fans and friends included Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, seen in 'Commando' wearing the wig Ramone had made when he was receiving radiation treatment, and Lisa Marie Presley, who ensured Ramone was the best man at her wedding to Nicolas Cage.

Presley told Reuters in an interview that Ramone, who had an Elvis-themed room in his house long before she took him to visit Graceland, played a major role in her life.

"He had a paternal thing with me. He was looking out for me," she said in an interview, describing Ramone as "grumpy, but charming."

Much of "Commando" shows Ramone living and breathing his band, which took its name from a pseudonym, Ramon, that Paul McCartney once used.

Even after the band called it quits, it was not until singer Joey Ramone, born Jeff Hyman, died of lymphoma in 2001, that Johnny Ramone, No. 16 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the top 100 greatest guitarists of all time, really knew it was over.

Bassist Dee Dee Ramone, born Douglas Colvin, died the following year of a heroin overdose. That was around the time when Johnny Ramone, who was himself battling the cancer that would take his life, was working on what would become "Commando."

Helped by the little black books that he filled throughout his career with the details of every Ramones show - all 2,263 of them - Ramone opened up the past, from punching out Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, to the challenge of working with gun-totting producer Phil Spector, to touring the world.

"It's exactly how Johnny would want it," said Linda. "It's like a Ramones show. Boom, boom, boom." — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

New hope for Prostate cancer symptoms

A high-powered beam of ultrasound can destroy prostate cancer without causing the serious side effects that plague other treatments, according to new research.

The highly significant trial shows it is possible to obliterate tumour cells without damaging the delicate surrounding tissues, including the nerves that are critical for male sexual function. Conventional surgery or radiotherapy leaves half of men impotent and a fifth incontinent.

The side effects are so common that many men with slow-growing tumours are advised not to have treatment. But doctors in London and Basingstoke used an experimental procedure called High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Hifu) to destroy tumours in what they called the 'male lumpectomy'.

There was no incision, so there was no recovery time. I walked out of hospital the same day. It was far less trouble than having a tooth pulled. I have not had any pain anywhere. None of the 41 men had incontinence, and only 10% had impotence, according to results in the journal Lancet Oncology.

Dr Hashim Ahmed of University College London Hospital said: 'Our results are very encouraging. 'We're optimistic that men diagnosed with prostate cancer may soon be able to undergo a day case surgical procedure, which can be safely repeated once or twice, to treat their condition with very few side effects.

'That could mean a significant improvement in their quality of life.'

The doctors used high resolution MRI scans of the men's prostates to map the precise location of the tumours. They then used Hifu machines to focus ultrasound waves onto an area the size of a grain of rice.

This heats the cells to 100 degrees, killing the cells without affecting nearby tissues. Doctors say men opting for traditional treatments only have a 50% chance of good cancer control without side effects. Richard Williams had Hifu for two pea-size tumours.

He left hospital the same day and experienced no side effects. He told Sky News: 'There was no incision, so there was no recovery time. I walked out of hospital the same day. 'It was far less trouble than having a tooth pulled. I have not had any pain anywhere.'

source: http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=740490&vId=3193873&cId=World

Actor Ryan O'Neal diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, report says

"Love Story" star Ryan O’Neal has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the actor told People magazine.

O’Neal, 70, who has successfully overcome leukemia in the late 1990s, released a statement through his rep last Friday, explaining that the cancer is currently in stage 4.

“Although I was shocked and stunned by the news, I feel fortunate that it was detected early and according to my extraordinary team of doctors the prognosis is positive for a full recovery,” the statement said.

The diagnosis comes about three years after O’Neal lost his longtime love Farrah Fawcett, who died of cancer at age 62, People reported. He penned a memoir about his life with Fawcett slated to be released on May 1.

“I am deeply grateful for the support of my friends and family during this time, and I urge everyone to get regular check-ups, as early detection is the best defense against this horrible disease that has afflicted so many,” O’Neal said.

source: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/04/16/actor-ryan-oneal-diagnosed-with-prostate-cancer/

Guitarist Ronnie Montrose Dead at 64

Ronnie Montrose, who is best known for his fiery guitar work as a member of the band Montrose, died Saturday. It is believed that the cause of death was prostate cancer, which he had been battling for the past few years.

"A few months ago, we held a surprise party for Ronnie Montrose's 64th birthday," a statement said on Montrose's official website. "He gave an impromptu speech, and told us that after a long life, filled with joy and hardship, he didn't take any of our love for granted. He passed today. He'd battled cancer, and staved off old age for long enough. And true to form, he chose his own exit the way he chose his own life. We miss him already, but we're glad to have shared with him while we could."

Born in Denver, Colorado, Montrose got his first break when he was invited to play on Van Morrison's 1971 album, Tupelo Honey. Additional appearances on recordings by Herbie Hancock, Boz Scaggs, and the Edgar Winter Group soon followed before he formed his own band, Montrose, in 1973. In addition to the guitarist, the band consisted of a then-unknown Sammy Hagar on vocals, as well as bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi.

The quartet issued one of rock's all-time great debuts that year, their Zeppelin-esque album, Montrose, which spawned such soon-to-be hard rock standards as "Rock the Nation," "Bad Motor Scooter," "Space Station #5," "Rock Candy" and "Make It Last," all of which featured Montrose's tasty guitar playing. Hagar, however, would only remain with the band for one more release (1974's Paper Money) before exiting the group.

Still, the two Hagar/Montrose albums proved influential to subsequent bands, as evidenced by all the rock acts covering Montrose tunes, including Iron Maiden, who covered "I've Got the Fire" and "Space Station #5." Interestingly, Van Halen (the group Hagar would eventually front for two separate stints) would cover the songs "Rock Candy" and "Make It Last" during their early club days.

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/guitarist-ronnie-montrose-dead-at-64-20120304