Filed under: Thyroid Cancer , Prevention , Research , Environment , Daily news Researchers have concluded that many cancers are associated with an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer after treatment for the first cancer. In addition, there appears to be a 30 percent chance for thyroid cancer survivors developing a second and different cancer later. Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, UK researchers looked over 25 years of health information collected by cancer registries and found that for thyroid cancer survivors, many of the second cancers diagnosed tended to be skin, prostate, kidney, adrenal gland cancers, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. They also found a number of thyroid cancer diagnosis after another cancer had been diagnosed and treated. According to the research report, the only cancers not significantly associated with increased risk of thyroid cancer were those of the lips, mouth, pharynx, gallbladder, some female genitals, prostate, and bladder. The highest risk of being diagnosed with secondary thyroid cancer occurred during the first year following the diagnosis of the first cancer. The researchers note that the two-way associations between cancers might be due to shared genetic, hormonal or environmental risk factors or the use of potentially cancer-causing therapies for both cancers. What this study indicates is the real need for both physicians and cancer survivors to be on the lookout for the possibility of thyroid cancer following other cancers, and other cancers following thyroid cancer. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prostate Cancer , Alternative Therapies , Drug , Books Two years ago, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Shortly after he began radiation and hormone treatment for his cancer, I got an interesting call from him. He was suddenly experiencing symptoms normally associated with menopause -- in particular -- he was having hot flashes. He knew I had been suffering through hot flashes as a result of chemo-induced menopause. It's an interesting, if not unusual, father-daughter bonding when they both can share the trials and tribulations of menopause. Our telephone calls became conversations of possible solutions and relief during the sleeping and waking hours of a personal summer not in sync with the seasonal temperature outside. In the middle of winter, I joked my hot flashes were saving me money on my home heating bill. Yesterday, Vicki posted tropical vacations and hot flashes , in which she shared a few natural herbal remedies for women suffering from hot flashes associated with menopause. For many women breast cancer survivors, chemo-induced menopause is a real problem. Today, I will share some of the natural remedies for men suffering from hot flashes associated with prostate cancer treatment and male menopause. Yes, it's a real condition. Jed Diamond, author of Male Menopause , offers these herbals as possible relief from male menopausal hot flashes:

• Wild Yam for hormone building assistance.
• Black cohosh for a relaxant and normalizer.
• Damiana as a prostate tonic, antidepressant and nutrient for sluggish sexual organs.
• St. John's Wort and Oat for nerve tonics to help deal with any depression and other stress due to the changes.
• Saw Palmetto for a reproductive system nutrient.

Of course, if you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you need to speak with your oncologist and primary care physician concerning the safety of combining herbs with any drug treatment you are currently prescribed. In addition, the Mayo Clinic did research that suggested antidepressants can alleviate the severity of hot flashes for men . My father has reported some relief from both herbs and antidepressants, but he still has a personal summer now and then. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prostate Cancer , Drug , Chemotherapy , Prevention , Research , Daily news According to a new Institute of Cancer Research study, researchers have determined that men in their late 50's might be undergoing unnecessary prostate cancer surgery and radiotherapy . Based on the research, the surgery and radiation treatment currently advised for men in this age group is not likely to extend survival. The conclusion of the study is that men who are in their late 50's can expect to live 15 or more years without surgical intervention or radiation treatment. Two recent procedures are being used more and more -- implant of radioactive seeds and a process of deep freezing a tumor to destroy it. This is good news for men with low-grade prostate cancer as both surgery and radiation can have adverse and unwanted side effects that can diminish the quality of life. If you are a man who has been diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer, and your doctor recommends surgery or the traditional radiation treatment, you might want to seek a second opinion about the other treatment options available before consenting to treatment. At least you will know if less invasive procedures are possible for your specific cancer case. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Prostate Cancer , Alternative Therapies , Ovarian Cancer , Prevention In a newspaper feature, Cathy Zimmerman begins by asking, milk -- could it be possible that it does a body bad? As part of a session of classes on foods that fight cancer at Wild Oats in Portland, Oregon, she quotes Dr. Amy Lanou, a nutrition scientist and professor of health and wellness at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and board member of the Cancer Project -- a nonprofit group of physicians, naturopaths and educators -- as saying, "There is a large body of evidence that dairy products do more harm than good. Whole milk, full of lactose sugar and unsaturated fats, is the number-one source of fat in children's diets." Concerned adults are attempting to stop the growing problem of obesity for children by reducing less-nutritious or fat-laden foods that lead to weight gain. Obesity can lead to a number of diseases later in life -- including cancers. According to The Cancer Project, other mammals quit drinking milk after infancy, but not humans, who started drinking cow's milk in northern Europe about 1,000 years ago. The proteins, fat and sugar in milk promote fast growth, as well as dozens of hormones that nourish infant development. But that's mother's milk. And babies drinking it. Dairy milk is too rich for an adult body. Previous research on dairy has shown that it can increase the risks for some cancers. What about calcium? Contrary to popular belief, dairy is not the best bet for getting the calcium we need to maintain good health. Calcium can be obtained from a diet of green leafy vegetables, beans, peas and legumes. Fortified juices are another source of calcium. Does milk do a body bad? You decide. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Prostate Cancer , Alternative Therapies , Melanoma , Prevention Button mushrooms for prostate and breast cancer prevention , posted several months ago, reported on a study that showed white button mushrooms offer both breast cancer and prostate cancer protection, and might be a significant nutritional resource as a cancer prevention food. Our sibling blog, Slashfood , points to a study that reports exposing mushrooms to ultraviolet light for a short period of time enhances them as a nutritional superfood with 869 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D. As Joe DiStefano remarks, "That's more of the vitamin than is found in two tablespoons of cod liver oil, and probably much tastier." I would agree -- and there is a whole generation of grandparents who would agree -- since cod liver oil was administered to children on a daily basis back then. Yuck. My grandparents do not have fond taste memories of cod liver oil. Past research indicates that the lack of an adequate level of vitamin D puts a person at higher cancer risk. These enhanced mushrooms would be a novel way to include another food enriched with vitamin D as part of a cancer prevention diet without relying too much on sun exposure for vitamin D, and the resulting skin cancer risk from the sun. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prostate Cancer , Drug , Prevention Researchers report that the treatment success rate for younger men who undergo external beam radiation for prostate cancer is the same as it is for older men. This contradicts the traditional belief that radiation therapy is not considered a good choice for treating younger men because younger men are considered to suffer from more aggressive prostate cancer. But, according to the results of the study conducted by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center, the five-year-survival was 94 percent for men 55 or younger, 95 percent for those 60 to 69, and 87 percent for men 70 or older when men of all age groups received the same external beam radiation treatment. The researchers of this study added, "that the results of this study cannot be used to prove that radiation is as a good or better than radical prostatectomy because the study didn't include a prostatectomy arm. However, other studies have shown that external beam radiation is equivalent to permanent prostate seed implantation and radical prostatectomy in patients with T1-2 prostate cancer." Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prostate Cancer , Drug , Chemotherapy , Prevention Researchers have discovered a specific genetic mutation in men, that when present, indicates the increase in the chance of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer by 60 percent. This gene affects twice as many men of African American descent than it does men of European descent, which could explain why the incidence of prostate cancer is higher in African American men. Until now, the only established risk factors for prostate cancer have been age, family history and ethnicity. Scientists at deCODE genetics -- with academic colleagues in Iceland, the US and Sweden -- made the discovery of the genetic mutation which will alert physicians to the need for more aggressive treatment of prostate cancer for men with the gene. The study is published online at  Nature Genetics . Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prostate Cancer , Ovarian Cancer , Prevention Arnold Palmer, golfing legend and prostate cancer survivor, has donated $2 million dollars to the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute to launch a new cancer prevention division named The Arnold Palmer Endowed Chair in Cancer Prevention. In 1997, Palmer was treated for early-stage prostate cancer. In 1999, his first wife, Winnie lost her life to ovarian cancer. Italian epidemiologist Dr. Emanuela Taioli will head the new division, set to focus on lifestyle and genetic risks for cancer, and ways to understand and prevent cancer from those causes. "I have confidence that the research successes gained through this initiative will have a far-reaching impact on cancer prevention and quality of life for survivors," said Palmer. Cancer prevention continues to gain more attention and focus of cancer research, thanks in part to the generosity of cancer survivors like Palmer. Mr. Palmer -- we tip our hat to you. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prostate Cancer Tiger Woods father, Earl Woods, has passed away after a long battle with prostate cancer. Tiger Woods has issued a statement on his website that reads: "I'm very saddened to share the news of my father's passing at home early this morning. My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply. I'm overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life. He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend. I wouldn't be where I am today without him, and I'm honored to continue his legacy of sharing and caring. Thank you to all who are sending condolences to my family and our Foundation. We are truly blessed to have so many who care during this difficult time." Recently, Woods had announced he was taking time off to be with his father and would not be playing in any golf tournaments until at least June. At that time, Woods said, "It's kind of up in the air with the situation back home, so I don't know what's going to happen." From the beginning, Woods had been very clear in his priorities when it came to his father. Back in March, Woods remarked, "It puts things in perspective. You hit a bad shot, and you want to get upset with yourself because you know you can hit better shots, but in the whole scheme of things, it's just a golf shot." We are very saddened for his loss. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prostate Cancer , Alternative Therapies , Drug , Prevention Texas cancer researchers are reporting significant success in survival rates of men with recurrent prostate cancer when treated with a one-two combination of radiation and suicide gene therapy -- all of which might one day lead to an effective long term prostate cancer vaccine. The Methodist Hospital in Houston researchers, who conducted the five-year study, reported improvement in patients with all stages of prostate cancer undergoing the combination treatment when compared to the results of patients receiving standard radiation at other institutions. According to researchers, low-risk patients had 100 percent survival rate at five years, and the intermediate and high risk group had 90 percent survival rate at five years. "This method not only treats the tumor area with radiation," said Dr. Brian Butler, chief of radiation oncology at The Methodist Hospital in Houston. "But it also creates a system of assassins to go out and look for these cancer cells throughout the body. We are using the body's own immunological system to help identify the cancer and kill it." Amazing. To read about the researchers use of a common cold virus and the potential future of a prostate cancer vaccine, go here . Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments