Mammograms have very low risk of radiation

A new study from Canada suggests that the potential cancer risk from radiation during a mammogram is very small compared to the benefits of lives saved from early detection of the breast cancer.

Said  Martin Yafee researcher at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto, “This risk of radiation-induced breast cancers is mentioned periodically by women and people who are critiquing screening [and how often it should be done and in whom.”

Added Dr Arnold Rotter from the radiology department at City of Hope Cancer center in Duarte, CA, "This study says that the good obtained from having a screening mammogram far exceeds the risk you might have from the radiation received from the low-dose mammogram,"

Dr Yaffe and his team  developed a mathematical model to estimate the risk of radiation-induced breast cancer following exposure to radiation from mammograms, and then estimated the number of breast cancers, fatal breast cancers and years of life lost attributable to the mammography's screening radiation. They applied this model to hypothetical data from women who undergo mammograms.

What they found: If 100,000 women got annual mammograms from ages 40 to 55 and then got mammograms every other year until age 74, 86 breast cancers and 11 deaths would be attributable to the mammography radiation.

Simply put another way, Jaffe said: "Your chances are one in 1,000 of developing a breast cancer from the radiation. Your chances of dying are one in 10,000. But the lifetime risk of breast cancer is estimated at about one in eight or nine.” he added.

"I'm not minimizing the concern of radiation," Rotter said. "Everything is a balance." For example, younger breasts, particularly those of women aged 40 to 49, are more sensitive to radiation than breasts in older women, but the new study shows it's better to get the screening mammography than skip it.

Elderly can undergo aggressive lung cancer treatments

For many years, the trend in North America has been to treat elderly people who have lung cancer with conservative chemotherapy. The reason for this is that it was always felt that the elderly were fragile and would not be able to tolerate the harsh chemotherapeutic drugs. Well, now a major study indicates that this thinking is wrong. A recent study from France reveals that elderly patients lived longer, cancer free and had a decent quality of life after aggressive chemotherapy.

"These results demonstrate that a more intensive regimen given to younger patients can be effective and tolerable in this (elderly) group," said lead researcher Dr. Elisabeth Quoix

Younger patients with lung cancer have always been offered a combination of drugs but elderly have in the past only been offered one drug. This was chiefly because of physicians fear that the elderly may not tolerate the side effects well.

Researchers in France looked at 451 patients between the age of 70- 89 and offered them single or multiple chemotherapeutic drugs for their lung cancer. The study had to be stopped because the researchers observed that the overall survival period for patients given the combination chemotherapy was 10.4 months compared to 6.2 months for those getting only one drug. They also noticed that patients receiving two cancer drugs lived twice as long and the side effects were easily tolerated.

Dr. Mark Kris, chief of thoracic oncology at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York and ASCO representative, said that the impact of this trial is  "huge."

Kris says "the message of this paper is really important" because it encourages oncologists to look beyond their patient's chronological age and if the patient is fit enough, doctors should have the "confidence to give the best treatment available to older adults with the anticipation of getting the same benefits and side effects."

Kris said, "Of all the trials, this one is the one with the most immediate impact" because doctors and patients can take this information and use it next week.

Fecal DNA tests for colon cancer

Colon cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths in North America. So far nothing we have done in terms of prevention has helped decrease the rates of colon cancer. The only way to improve mortality is to make a diagnosis of the cancer early. We do have many screening tests for colon cancer, but tests like colonoscopy and virtual colonoscopy are expensive. The Fecal occult blood test is not very specific.

In the last few years, scientists have developed Fecal DNA tests. The first generation of these tests were not great. For example, the tests would repeatedly show that you have a cancer, when in fact you did not have a cancer (false positives). Further, the tests also sometimes showed that one did not have a cancer, when in fact a cancer was present (false negative). However, the latest generation of DNA tests have been improved but they are not 100 percent sensitive or specific.

The tests involving sampling stool for DNA. A colon cancer if present anywhere in the colon can be identified roughly 88% of the time.

The Fecal DNA kits appear to be slightly better than the fecal occult blood test kits (FOBT) at detecting colon cancer.

For the time being, anyone over the age of 50, should continue with a reliable screening test for colon cancer. The fecal DNA tests will most likely be improved in the future but for the time being, the fecal occult blood test should not be chucked away. Cost is another issue. The Fecal occult blood tests can cost anywhere from $3-$25, while the DNA kits costs anywhere from $500-$1,000. Another big difference is that the FOBT only requires a stool smear; the DNA kits require collecting a whole bucket of stools.

And finally, the majority of insurance carriers do not cover costs of the Fecal DNA test. For the time being and for those who can afford it, Colonoscopy is still the gold standard screening test for colon cancer.

Other Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Coping skills: Once a diagnosis of prostate cancer is made, the news is always devastating and depressing. Many individuals may not be able to cope with such news. To cope with a prostate cancer, the best way is to educate oneself. One should maintain a normal routine of lifestyle and work. One should not suffer the burden of a cancer diagnosis on their own and seek counseling from family members friends and help is even available by calling the National Cancer Organization(s). The best way to deal with the cancer is by being well informed with the cancer.

Alternative medicine: Like everything in medicine, alternative medicine is fast catching on as a treatment for all cancers. This is mainly because of the dissatisfaction of individuals with conventional medicine.

There are numerous nutrition supplements and herbs which are found in every store all over the country- all of them claiming great success in treating prostate disease and cure all other cancers. Most of the success of these products is claimed by the industry and the manufacturers.The question remains, are these therapies effective?

Anecdotal data always suggests that these products are effective but no large controlled trials are available on the majority of these products. Even though these products are widely used, there is absolutely no regulation or control of these products. The ingredients, their content or their purity is not assessed and their long term safety remains unknown. In addition, fake supplements are on the increase and buyer better beware.Herbal Supplements: There are a number of nutritional herbs claiming to be effective in the treatment of prostate cancer but there is not an iota of medical evidence that any of these substances work.

The herbs postulated to have activity against prostate cancer include chaparral, PC SPES and shark cartilage. The majority of these products have not been shown to have any benefit in humans and yet they are sold in all herbal stores.

Because it's not always easy to tell which products may be unsafe, the best advice is to seek speak to your physician. These products are by no means cheap and by having blind faith in these products, one not only tends to lose their money but also their life.

More Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Cryotherapy: Cryotherapy involves use of freezing temperatures to destroy the cancer cells. Cryotherapy has been used to treat prostate cancer in the past. It involves the use of a probe placed through the rectum and freezes the prostate.

The freezing action destroys the cancer cells. However, previous results were poor and associated with a number of complications including damage to surrounding structures such as the bladder and rectum. Bladder incontinence was a major complication of Cryotherapy.

Observation: The PSA blood test can help detect prostate cancer at a very early stage. This allows many men to choose observation as a treatment option. With observation, one has to have regular follow-ups, frequent blood tests, repeat rectal exams and possibly biopsies to monitor the progression of the early cancer.

Prevention: Unfortunately prostate cancer can’t be prevented but one can take measures to decrease the risks or slow its progression. The most important steps one can take to maintain good health is to well, be physically active and get regular check up from the doctor.

Additional Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Orchidectomy: A few men elect to undergo an orchidectomy. The testes are a major source of testosterone and surgical removal of the testes eliminates the hormone. This mode of therapy is usually for individuals with advanced prostate cancer and is quite effective. The procedure is not as painful as it sounds. The surgery is done under general/local anesthesia and takes 30-45 minutes. Most patients are discharged home the same day.

Radical prostatectomy: Surgical removal of the prostate gland is another option for patients with prostate cancer. This is a major surgical procedure which removes the entire prostate and adjacent lymph nodes. The surgeon tries to preserve the nerves and muscles which control urination and sexual function. Both have been designed to prevent the complication to the adjacent organs, however, a fair number of individuals continue to have complications. Complications of surgery include impotence and urinary incontinence.

Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy drugs are frequently used to treat prostate cancer. These toxic drugs kill the rapidly growing cancer cells. This form of therapy is not curative but can help control the spread. However, chemotherapy is associated with more side effects and is generally given to men who have prostate cancer which did not respond to hormonal therapy. Today, various combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs are used and may even be combined with hormones. Early results are positive but long term resulting are not available.

Future therapy: Current trials are evaluating use of stem cells, gene therapy and immune therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer which has already spread. These newer treatments are currently only available at major cancer centers.

Hormone Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Hormone therapy: Because testosterone is known to stimulate growth of prostate cancer cells, anti hormonal therapy is frequently used to treat prostate cancer. Hormone therapy either uses drugs to stop the production of the male sex hormones or the entire source of the hormone is surgically stopped by removing the testicle (orchidectomy).

Occasionally, both types of treatment are used.Hormonal therapy is most effective in men with advanced prostate cancer. The treatment does help to slow the growth and frequently shrinks the tumor. Because this therapy is effective in shrinking tumors, hormonal therapy is frequently used in the early stage of prostate cancer — often in combination with radiation and surgery.

Once the tumor size is downsized, surgery or radiation therapy can be used to destroy whatever tumor is left behind. Also available are drugs which prevent the release of signals from the brain to manufacture testosterone (LH-RH agonists). These longer acting drugs are injected every 2-3 months. The drugs can be continued for a prolonged time without undue side effects.

In the past decade, other anti testosterone drugs have become available in the treatment of prostate cancer. These medications include flutamide (Eulexin), bicalutamide (Casodex) and nilutamide (Nilandron). They can be taken orally and can be combined with LH-RH agonists.

Drug therapy, however, is not ideal for the treatment of prostate cancer. After a few years, most cancer cells develop mechanisms to resist these drugs and develop alternative mechanisms for survival. To prevent the development of drug resistance, intermittent hormone therapy programs have been developed. The PSA levels are monitored and once the levels start to drop, the drugs are stopped. If the PSA levels rise, the drugs are re-started again.