RSS Feed
TwitterA pioneering treatment for the UK’s most common male cancer is more successful than surgery or radiotherapy, according to a landmark study by British scientists.Prostate cancer is the country’s most prevalent cancer among men, with 10,000 deaths among 35,000 cases each year, affecting a third of men over 50. Traditional therapies are invasive and require overnight stays in hospital, with multiple visits for further treatment.They also have significant and long-lasting side-affects that put many men off. However, new research shows that intensive ultrasound therapy matches the 92 per cent cure rate of traditional treatments – but dramatically reduces side effects. The technique is also much simpler, involving a one off visit, with sufferers walking out of the hospital hours later. Furthermore, those who undergo ultrasound can return to normal life in just a week or two compared with up to six months for the other treatments. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the NHS rationing body, which has previously considered the results of similar tests “uncertain”, has pledged to consider the new evidence as it assesses the technique for use in the health service. It currently remains in clinical trials, but the results were described as “excellent news” by cancer charities. ”This technique needs careful evaluation to make sure that it can produce the same results as the proven treatments for early prostate cancer,” said Professor Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK. ”If the treatment can be shown to have less side effects then that will be excellent news, but more research is needed to show this.” Ministers have been considering whether to introduce a nationwide screening programme for prostate cancer, after the largest study of its kind suggested that it could save lives. However, experts have warned that the risks associated with traditional surgery to remove some slow growing tumours, which can include incontinence, outweigh the risks posed by the disease for many men. If caught early enough then treatments such as radiotherapy and surgery can stop the spread of the cancer but the side-effects severely damage the quality of life of the patient. Of men treated with surgery or radiotherapy, up to 20 per cent usually suffer incontinence and half have impotence. Radiotherapy can also cause other side effects in up to one in five patients, including pain and bleeding. The new technique, known as High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Hifu), focuses powerful soundwaves on an area about a tenth of an inch across.
Posts Tagged ‘Cancer Research Uk’
Prostate cancer treatment ‘more successful than surgery’, claim British scientists
July 2nd, 2009 
admin 
Posted in News 
Tags: British Scientists, Cancer Charities, Cancer Research Uk, Careful Evaluation, Clinical Excellence, Clinician, Health Service, Landmark Study, Male Cancer, Many Men, National Institute For Health, New Evidence, Overnight Stays, Professor Peter Johnson, Prostate Cancer, Prostate Cancer Treatment, Radiotherapy, Traditional Surgery, Traditional Therapies, Ultrasound Therapy 
Comments OffBeing a vegetarian can cut your risk of cancer by a half, claim scientists
July 1st, 2009 admin Being a vegetarian protects you from cancer, claim scientists in a wide-ranging study which found cutting out meat can reduce the risk of some types of the disease by half.Researchers who studied tens of thousands of Britons over more than a decade found that vegetarians were 12 per cent less likely to contract cancer than their meat eating counterparts. With a third of the population developing cancer in their lifetime, changing diets could result in more than two million people avoiding the disease altogether, said the researchers.For some cancers like leukaemia, stomach and bladder cancers the difference was even more striking with up to 45 per cent fewer non-meat eaters contracting the diseases than carnivores. Dr Naomi Allen, an epidemiologist at Oxford University and co-author of the study, said: “This is strong evidence that vegetarians have lower rates of cancer than meat eaters.” Although it is widely recommended people eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to reduce their risk of cancer and other diseases, there is very little evidence looking specifically at a vegetarian diet. The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, is one of the findings from the European Perspective Investment into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) which is following half a million people. More than 61,000 people aged between 20 and 89, roughly half of whom were vegetarian, were followed for more than 12 years in the British arm of the research which is supported by Cancer Research UK. During the time 3,350 people contracted 20 different cancers and the team compared the rates of meat eaters, fish eaters and vegetarians.
Posted in News Tags: Alcohol Intake, Bladder Cancers, Breast Cancer, British Arm, British Journal Of Cancer, Britons, Cancer And Nutrition, Cancer Rates, Cancer Research Uk, Claim Scientists, Contract Cancer, Epidemiologist, European Perspective, Fish Eaters, Fruit And Vegetables, Half A Million, Meat Eaters, Oxford University, Vegetarian Diet, Vegetarians Comments OffDiscovered: The genetic flaw that triggers skin cancer
April 7th, 2009 admin Scientists have pinpointed a gene that triggers the most deadly form of skin cancer, paving the way for new treatments for the disease. Up to 70 per cent of cases of malignant melanoma could be sparked by a genetic mutation caused by ageing and over-exposure to the sun. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research had previously linked the rogue version of the so-called BRAF gene to the disease but did not know if it actually caused the cancer.Now, the same group of researchers has shown that acquiring the BRAF mutation can be the first event in the cascade of genetic changes that eventually leads to melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. While the mutation could occur naturally, the odds of it appearing are likely to be exacerbated by intensive exposure to the sun. Lead author Professor Richard Marais from the institute said: ‘We know that excessive sun exposure is the main cause of skin cancer, but not much is known about the genetics behind it. ’Our study shows that the genetic damage of BRAF is the first step in skin cancer development. ’Understanding this process will help us develop more effective treatments for the disease.’There are around 9,500 new cases of malignant melanoma and more than 2,300 deaths from the disease each year in the UK.Over-exposure to sunlight causes at least two thirds of all malignant melanomas and up to 90 per cent of other skin cancers.
Posted in Tech News Tags: Cancer Development, Cancer Information, Cancer Research Uk, Cancer Scientists, Cause Of Skin Cancer, Dna Mutations, Excessive Exposure, Excessive Sun Exposure, Exciting Research, Genetic Changes, Genetic Damage, Genetic Flaw, Genetic Mutation, Genetic Mutations, Intensive Exposure, Malignant Melanoma, Malignant Melanomas, Skin Cancer, Skin Cancers, Sun Exposure Comments Off