Harvard Health Blog

Sixty-five-year-old George Lincoln* never suspected that anything was wrong. Aside from some of the typical side effects of hormone therapy for his prostate cancer, such as fatigue, occasional hot flashes, mild weight gain, and a loss of libido, he felt okay. He didn’t have abdominal pain, nausea, jaundice, or any other symptoms that might indicate a potentially life-threatening problem.

A conversation with Fritz H. Schroder, M.D., the principal investigator of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer

As men age, their testosterone production begins to slow. As men get into their 50s, 60s, and beyond, they may start to have signs and symptoms of low testosterone including reduced sex drive and sense of vitality, erectile dysfunction, decreased energy, lower muscle mass and bone density, and anemia. In some cases, supplemental testosterone may help. However, doctors disagree over the wisdom of prescribing testosterone to prostate cancer survivors.

Today, about 10% to 20% of patients who have their prostate surgically removed are told that they have positive surgical margins, meaning some cancer cells may have been left behind. In this roundtable discussion, three Harvard physicians discuss positive surgical margins what patients with positive margins should consider next.

Knowing the basics of scientific research and statistics can help you understand what medical studies really say

In the late 1990s, word that selenium and vitamin E might lower the risk of prostate cancer was reported by newspapers and magazines, broadcast on television and radio, and announced on Web sites. Eager to prevent the disease — and convinced that vitamins and minerals couldn’t be harmful — men around the world began taking the supplements.

Dr.

Researchers

Given the possible side effects of hormone therapy, such as bone loss, fractures, diabetes, and heart trouble, clinicians might want to think twice before prescribing hormone therapy as the primary cancer treatment for older men with early-stage disease.

No consensus exists about what type of medical follow-up is in order for this “precancerous” condition or whether to treat it. Marc B. Garnick, M.D., explains the condition and outlines your options.

Study shows that patients have fewer complications when prostate surgery is done at a high-volume hospital by a surgeon who performs the operation regularly.

An experimental drug may halt the production of male hormones in the body, making it a promising treatment for prostate cancer patients whose tumors have not responded to other therapies. Preliminary studies showed shrinking tumors and drops in PSA levels.

Study shows that men with BPH typically eat less garlic and fewer servings of onions per week than those without BPH.

Many urologists prescribe alpha blockers to treat chronic prostatitis, but study shows that one such drug is ineffective in easing the condition.

A new prostate cancer vaccine may give hope to men with metastatic prostate cancer by spurring their immune systems to fight the disease, according to a presentation by Iowa researchers at the American Urological Association’s annual meeting in May 2008. Enabling a patient’s immune system to attack cancer cells can improve quality of life and extend survival.

Despite previous controversy, researchers report that finasteride may reduce overall disease risk and decrease rate of aggressive tumors.

Study

Research shows that checking for a protein called endoglin might determine the extent of prostate cancer.

Research shows that combining the anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib (Celebrex) and the cholesterol-lowering statin drug atorvastatin (Lipitor) halted the progression of prostate tumors in mice. Investigators are now planning to test the combo in prostate cancer patients.

Study

Research shows that men who carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer than men without the genes.

A Swedish study finds that the combination of five genetic variations increases the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Researchers report that an experimental urine test can better distinguish between prostate cancer and benign conditions than both PSA and PCA3 testing.

Research has shown that testosterone levels decline as men age. In theory, taking testosterone supplements should counter that natural process. But a Dutch study concluded that they few benefits.