January, 2012

What Is Male Breast Cancer? What Causes Male Breast Cancer?

4.43 (7 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

3 (2 votes)

Male breast cancer is really a relatively rare cancer in guys that originates from the breast. Most circumstances of male breast cancer create in males who are 65 years of age, or over, although cases have been recorded in men aged who are among 20-90 years of age.

Breast cancer is 100 times far more typical in girls than in guys. The American Cancer Society estimates that each year, about 1,990 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed and that breast cancer will cause roughly 480 deaths in males. A man’s lifetime threat of developing breast cancer is about one in one thousand.

The estimated five year survival rate for early-stage male breast cancer is 75-100%. For mid-stage male breast cancer it’s 50-80%, and for advanced-stage male breast cancer there is certainly 30-60% chance of survival right after five years from detection.

What are the symptoms of Male Breast Cancer?A symptom is something the patient senses and describes, although a sign is something other people, like the doctor notice. For example, drowsiness might be a symptom even though dilated pupils could be a sign.

Adjusted for age and stage the prognosis for breast cancer in males is similar to that in females. Men will experience smaller tumor size and absence or paucity of local lymph node involvement. Hormonal treatment may possibly be connected with hot flashes and impotence.

The most common symptom of male breast cancer is the appearance of a lump inside the breast. In most instances, the lump will be painless.

Less typical symptoms of male breast cancer usually affect the nipple. Such symptoms contain nipple retraction, ulceration and discharge, exactly where fluid begins to leak from the nipple.

If the cancer spreads additional symptoms may possibly include breast pain, bone pain, and swelling with the lymph nodes (glands) near the breast, usually in or around, the armpit.

What are the causes of Male Breast Cancer? It truly is not known for certain what causes the cells within the breast to become cancerous. Nevertheless, a number of threat factors for male breast cancer have been identified.

About 85% of breast cancers in men have estrogen receptors on their cell membranes. Estrogen receptors on the cell membranes allow estrogen molecules to bind towards the cancer cells. Estrogen binding towards the cancer cells stimulates cell growth and multiplication.

Klinefelter’s syndrome is actually a main threat factor for male breast cancer because guys using the condition are 20 times more probably to create male breast cancer than the male population at large. Klinefelter’s syndrome is where baby boys are born with much higher levels of estrogen than normal.

A number of mutated genes have been linked to an improve danger of male breast cancer. For example, a mutation known as the BRAC2 mutation has been identified in an estimated 5% of males with male breast cancer.

There is also evidence that male breast cancer can run in families, as 1 in five men who create breast cancer, have a first-degree male relative, such as a father, or brother, who also has a history of breast cancer.

Diagnosing Male Breast CancerTypically self-examination leads towards the detection of a lump within the breast which requires further investigation.

Biopsy, ultrasound and mammography might be sometimes utilized for further definition.

What are the therapy options for Male Breast Cancer? Surgery is usually the very first therapy option for male breast cancer, and usually involves an operation called a modified radical mastectomy. This involves the surgeon removing the entire breast as well as the lymph nodes inside the armpit.

Estrogen hormone therapy might be used in cases of male breast cancer exactly where there are estrogen receptors on the walls of the cancerous cells. This implies that the cells can use estrogen to help them grow and reproduce. Therefore, the aim of hormone therapy would be to block the effects of estrogen. In addition, Tamoxifen can be a widely employed medication in hormone therapy. It works by blocking the estrogen receptors so that estrogen is unable to enter into cancerous cells. In another remedy option, aromatase inhibitors block the effects with the aromatase protein which, in turn, lowers the amount of estrogen in the body.

Chemotherapy is utilised to treat instances of male breast cancer where the cancerous cells do not have estrogen receptors, meaning that hormone therapy would be mostly ineffective. Chemotherapy is usually given soon after surgery so that you can avoid the cancer returning, or it is utilized to treat the symptoms of incurable cancer.

Preventing Male Breast Cancer Early detection can help stop the spread of cancer. If there is a history of male breast cancer within the household, a person should check regularly for lumps and report any modifications to a doctor as soon as feasible.

In general, top a wholesome lifestyle is really a excellent way to help prevent male breast cancer, together with numerous other significant well being conditions.

Written by Sy Kraft (B.A.)
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced with no permission of Medical News These days

AP Examines Male Circumcision Efforts In Africa, Including Adult Circumcision Devices

4.84 (25 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

4.69 (13 votes)

Article Opinions:1 posts

The Related Press examines efforts to prevent the spread of HIV by circumcising “about 50 million guys across Africa – where 70 percent of the world’s HIV-infected population lives.” The procedure has been shown to lower a man’s threat of HIV infection by way of heterosexual sex, prompting “[c]ountries with high HIV rates, such as Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia and Zambia,” to include male circumcision in their HIV prevention plans, the news service writes.

The AP looks at a brand new male circumcision device that according to researchers is less painful and requires much less time for health workers compared to traditional circumcision techniques. The Chinese-developed “ShangRing consists of two plastic rings, one slightly smaller than the other, that trap the foreskin in in between them. With the use of some anesthesia, the foreskin can then be snipped off with out significant bleeding or stitches. The device is kept on for ten days to allow the wound to heal,” the news service writes.

“According to Chinese information, the complication rate in thousands of men who have had the ShangRing is less than five percent,” even though with “traditional circumcisions in Africa, it can be as high as 15 percent. A surgical circumcision takes about 20 minutes; 1 using the ShangRing might be done in about five. … Inside the 40 males tested in Kenya, 90 percent mentioned they had been satisfied using the procedure,” the AP reports.

According towards the news service, researchers are scheduled to launch a larger study in Kenya later this year. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation plans to spend $4 million to support studies evaluating ShangRing and is examining other adult male circumcision devices, the AP reports.

According to “Kim Dickson, an AIDS expert in the World Wellness Organization, … mass circumcision could avoid about four million adult HIV infections between 2009 and 2025,” the AP reports. “Circumcision will most likely avert far far more deaths per dollar spent than other things we’re spending HIV money on,” Philip Stevens, with the International Policy Network, said. “The main problem I can foresee with this is actually persuading men to sign up for it.”

The post anotes that “[e]xperts are also concerned males who get circumcised will mistakenly think they are immune to HIV” (Cheng, 2/15).

This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with type permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. It is possible to view the whole Kaiser Every day Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for e-mail delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

? Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Gardasil Effective In Women Ages 25 To 45, Young Men, Merck Studies Show

Healthcare Prof:

4 (1 votes)

Merck’s human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil, effectively prevented precancerous cervical lesions and genital warts in women ages 24 through 45, and it prevented anal cancer and precancerous anal lesions in young men who’ve sex with guys, based on two studies released by the organization on Wednesday, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Merck released the studies in conjunction using a European conference of physicians and researchers who specialize in cancer and genital infections.

Gardasil at the moment is approved for the prevention of cervical cancer and genital warts in girls and females ages nine through 26. Merck is utilizing the information from the women’s study to assistance its application for FDA approval to industry Gardasil for cervical cancer and genital wart prevention in females up to age 45. The company expects a ruling by June on the application to make use of the vaccine in older women (Johnson, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/17).

Gardasil helps block four with the most typical HPV strains — two types that cause 70% of cervical cancer circumstances and two other varieties that trigger 90% of genital warts cases (Women’s Well being Policy Report, 10/22/09). The vaccine also is approved to stop genital warts in boys and males ages nine by way of 26. Gardasil is amongst Merck’s 10 best-selling products, generating $1.12 billion in sales in 2009.

In late 2009, Merck, which funded each studies, provided FDA with more-detailed information from the women’s study. The agency previously rejected the company’s request to market the drug to older females and requested longer-term follow-up data. The newly released women’s study tracked participants for an further one and 1 half years. The study involved 3,819 females ages 24 by way of 45 from several nations who did not have cervical cancer, genital warts or HPV, the AP/Inquirer reports. Precancerous cervical lesions and genital warts did not take place in about 89% of the ladies who received 3 injections of Gardasil more than six months, compared with girls in a group that received a placebo shot. Twenty-three women receiving the placebo and 1 woman who was vaccinated created lesions or warts. All participants had been periodically examined for an average of about 4 years, the AP/Inquirer reports.

The second study located that 3 injections of Gardasil prevented precancerous anal lesions and anal cancer in about 77% of young guys. Whilst no males in either the Gardasil group or perhaps a placebo group created anal cancer, 24 who received the placebo and five who were vaccinated created precancerous lesions. The males were tracked for an average of three years right after the very first shot. According to Merck spokesperson Pam Eisele, the firm plans to submit data on anal cancer in men to FDA and apply for advertising approval (AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/17).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to view the whole Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Health Policy Report is a free service with the National Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2010 The Advisory Board Business. All rights reserved.

View drug data on Gardasil.

Much better Prognosis Markers For Prostate Cancer Found

5 (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

Measuring levels with the active form of the protein EGFR within the tumor and its vicinity can give a much more trustworthy prognosis for people with prostate cancer. This is what Ume? University researcher Peter Hammarsten and his associates write in a study in the leading scientific journal Clinical Cancer Study.

One of the main problems with prostate cancer is the fact that, with today’s prognosis markers, some 70-80 percent of patients wind up in a group where quite small may be mentioned about their prognosis. However, nowadays no techniques to are great enough establish which patients truly need to have therapy and which ones can get along fine without the hard remedy. This in turn implies that certain patients are over-treated with therapies that may result in serious side effects and that other patients who actually require intensive remedy don’t get it or get it too late.

In a study lately published inside the scientific journal Clinical Cancer Research, Hammarsten studied tissue biopsies from prostate tumors in 259 patients and located a new prognosis marker for prostate cancer. It’s the active type of the protein EFGR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) that was shown to give data regarding the aggressiveness of the tumor, each when it’s measured within the tumor or within the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor.

EGFR belongs to the same household as the prognosis marker HER2, that is utilized right now for breast cancer to decide the aggressiveness of a tumor which is to be treated with inhibitors of HER2, that’s, the drug Herceptin. In a comparable way, it might be feasible in the future to use the active type of EGFR to choose patients having a poor prognosis and are appropriate for remedy with inhibitors of EGFR. As a way to use EGFR as a prognosis marker clinically within the future, further studies will have to target its expressions in other and bigger material in prostate tumors.

Prostate cancer may be the most frequent cancer form among guys in Sweden. Each year some 10,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. Some two,500 of them will die of their disease. In other words, some patients have an aggressive fatal illness, whereas others have a slowly growing tumor that can not trigger any key troubles.

Source: Expertanswer

View drug info on Herceptin.

Proximity To Physical Activity Resources Found To Benefit Older Males

Healthcare Prof:

A new study points to the health rewards of living in neighborhoods with built-in physical activity resources.

Researchers conducted a study among community-dwelling guys age 65 years or older from the Portland, Ore., metropolitan region. They sought to discover regardless of whether older men who live within one-eighth, one-quarter, or one-half mile of physical activity resources, including parks, trails and recreational facilities, are a lot more most likely than males who live farther from these resources to preserve or increase the amount of time they devote walking. Participants had been enrolled from March 2000 via April 2002 at six U.S. clinical centers and were followed an typical of three.6 years to assess adjustments in time spent walking. The outcomes of the study revealed a positive association amongst urban-dwelling older males among living inside one-eighth mile of parks and one-half mile of trails and sustaining or growing time spent walking, although the association was limited to men living in high-socioeconomic status neighborhoods.

The study’s authors stated, “Proximity to physical activity resources like parks and trails could be critical for maintaining moderate physical activity over time amongst older guys residing in high-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. These findings support an eco-social model of physical activity promotion incorporating neighborhood-level resources and parks and trails.”

Source
American Journal of Public Health

Male Cancer Survivors’ High quality Of Life Affected By Testosterone Deficiency

four (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

4 (2 votes)

A new study has identified that many male cancer survivors who develop testosterone deficiency soon after receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy have an impaired good quality of life and reduced power levels. Published early on the web in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that young male cancer survivors with testosterone deficiency could benefit from testosterone replacement therapy.

Testosterone deficiency can be a late side effect of radiation therapy and chemotherapy that occurs in approximately 15 percent of male cancer survivors. Investigators led by Professor Richard Ross, MD, FRCP, of the University of Sheffield inside the United Kingdom examined the relationship in between testosterone levels, top quality of life, self-esteem, fatigue and sexual function in 176 young male cancer survivors compared with 213 young men with out cancer.

Young male cancer survivors mentioned they skilled a marked impairment in high quality of life, together with reduced energy levels and high quality of sexual function. These experiences were exacerbated in survivors with testosterone deficiency. Psychological distress was not elevated, self-esteem was normal, and sexual relationships had been not impaired in male cancer survivors, nonetheless.

Professor Ross commented: “This is an important study demonstrating that low testosterone levels are typical in male cancer survivors and connected with an impaired top quality of life. Nonetheless, the relationship among testosterone levels and good quality of life is complex and appears to depend on a threshold level instead of on a direct correlation. We now need to have interventional trials with testosterone to figure out which young male cancer survivors will benefit from replacement therapy.”

Article: “Quality of life, self-esteem, fatigue and sexual function in young men following cancer: a controlled cross-sectional study.” Diana M. Greenfield, Stephen J. Walters, Robert E. Coleman, Barry W. Hancock, John A. Snowden, Stephen M. Shalet, Leonard R. DeRogatis, Richard J.M. Ross. Cancer; Published On the internet: February 22, 2010 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.24898).

Source:
David Sampson
American Cancer Society

Do Guys With Early Prostate Cancer Commit Suicide A lot more Frequently?

Healthcare Prof:

The introduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing as a screening tool for early detection of prostate cancer (PCa) in the starting of the 1990s drastically increased the detection of PCa. The risk of suicide is elevated amongst cancer patients which includes males with PCa. To assess the danger of suicide amongst guys diagnosed with PCa subsequent to PSA testing, a nation-wide study was carried out in Sweden. The final results are published in the March issue of European Urology, the scientific journal of the European Association of Urology (EAU).

Anxiety related to a crisis reaction might create into a depression, and several studies have shown that there is certainly a high anxiety level amongst screeners in several screening programs. Even so, as in most nations, males who underwent PSA testing in Sweden in the time represent an opportunistic screening population and not a accurate population-based screening program by invitation. Therefore, they may happen to be far more well being conscious, much less prone to develop depression, and a lot more prepared to accept the prospective side effects of curative remedy than the common population.

The quantity of suicides registered for situations within the Prostate Cancer Base Sweden (a database in which numerous different registers are merged) cohort was compared with the expected quantity of suicides in an age-matched general male Swedish population. The strengths of this study incorporate the population-based style with inclusion of approximately 98% of all guys in Sweden diagnosed with PCa between1997 and 2006.

There was no evidence for an elevated threat of suicide among guys diagnosed with early nonpalpable PCa detected by PSA testing. The suicide rate, nevertheless, was twice as high among males diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic disease compared with the common male population. This is important to acknowledge as a way to focus on the have to identify signs of depression and optimise treatment amongst this category of patients.

Source: European Association of Urology

Few Differences In Outcomes In between Open And Laparoscopic Prostate Surgery: According To New Study Published Within the Journal Of Urology?

five (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

In a study published on-line within the Journal of Urology, researchers from the Urology Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, examined the postoperative outcomes of both ORP and LRP and found similar rates of success. They advise that guys thinking about prostate cancer surgery ought to understand the expected advantages and risks of each technique to facilitate selection making and set realistic expectations.

Of the 200,000 guys newly diagnosed with prostate cancer each year within the United States, about one-third will undergo surgical treatment. Though open radical prostatectomy (ORP) is regarded as the standard treatment, laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) with or with out robotic assistance is becoming a lot more common.

In a study published on the internet in The Journal of Urology, researchers from the Urology Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, examined the postoperative outcomes of each ORP and LRP and found similar rates of success. They advise that males considering prostate cancer surgery must comprehend the expected rewards and risks of each technique to facilitate choice making and set realistic expectations.

Enthusiasm for LRP, specifically for LRP with robotic assistance, has grown rapidly despite limited evidence of its superiority to ORP. Whilst most studies to date happen to be according to a limited number of patients or from single institutions, the authors with the current study compared ORP and LRP outcomes in a population based cohort of almost 6000 guys 66 years of age or older with clinically localized prostate cancer, controlling for patient and tumor characteristics, and examined the impact of surgeon volume in men treated with LRP.

Dr. Yair Lotan, Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, comments on the study, “A concern of these authors is the perception amongst patients that the robotic approach to prostatectomy is significantly superior. This perception is often reinforced by advertising from market and physicians. Patients deserve to have a realistic expectation of surgical outcomes, especially considering the multiple other accessible treatment alternatives. Notably the main information that a patient must know is not the prostatectomy approach but surgeon experience. Several studies show that the primary determinant of prostatectomy outcome is surgical volume. Patients ought to be educated on likely outcomes of a procedure according to individual surgeon experience. Unfortunately this data is often harder to obtain than published reports from experts within the field.”

After adjusting for patient and tumor characteristics, there had been no differences in the rate of general medical/surgical complications or genitourinary/bowel complications, or in postoperative radiation and/or androgen deprivation. LRP was connected with a 35% shorter hospital stay and a lower bladder neck/urethral obstruction rate. In laparoscopic cases, the surgeon’s experience with the procedure was inversely associated with hospital stay and also the odds of any genitourinary/bowel complication.

Writing inside the write-up, William T. Lowrance, MD, and colleagues state, “Results suggest that ORP and LRP have similar rates of postoperative mortality and morbidity. Controlling for important patient and tumor characteristics, the only differences favoring LRP had been shorter length of stay and a lower threat of bladder neck or urethral obstruction. All guys taking into consideration radical prostatectomy really should be clearly informed about the differences among the two techniques and similarities in their expected outcomes, and make treatment decisions in collaboration with an experienced surgeon.”

Source: Elsevier

Testicular Cancer Diagnosis By Non-Invasive MRI

1 (four votes)

Healthcare Prof:

Researchers have found that non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a good diagnostic tool for the evaluation and staging of testicular cancer and may possibly improve patient care by sparing some men unnecessary surgery, according to a study inside the March issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (http://www.ajronline.org).

“Medical imaging plays an important role inside the investigation of testicular masses,” stated Athina C. Tsili, MD, lead author with the study. “Sonography, even though the primary imaging technique for the evaluation of scrotal contents, doesn’t always allow confident characterization with the nature of a testicular mass. The purpose of our study was to assess the role of MRI within the preoperative characterization and local staging of testicular masses,” stated Tsili.

Prior surgery and histological examination revealed 28 malignant and 8 benign lesions in 33 patients. “Of those 36 lesions, MRI correctly identified all 28 malignant lesions and 7/8 benign lesions,” she mentioned.

“A achievable diagnosis of benign lesion according to MRI features may possibly improve patient care and decrease the number of unnecessary surgical procedures,” said Tsili.

“MRI is an efficient diagnostic tool for the evaluation of testicular masses. It truly is accurate inside the preoperative differentiation of benign and malignant masses, facilitating accurate estimation of the local extent of disease in patients with malignant tumors,” she stated.

This study appears inside the February issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Source:
Heather Curry
American College of Radiology / American Roentgen Ray Society

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