Increasing Incidence of Prostate Cancer: A Matter of Early Detection?January 13, 2005Over the past five decades, the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in Western industrialized nations has been rising - and the cancer is diagnosed at ever younger ages of the patients.This increase is at least partly due to early detection screenings that have been introduced, as is shown by a study of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ). Based on data contained in the Swedish Family Cancer Register, epidemiologists Professor Dr. Kari Hemminki, Rajesh Rawal and Dr. Justo Lorenzo Bermejo have calculated that the number of prostate cancer cases in Sweden has almost tripled between 1960 and 2002. The increase occurred in two distinct phases: Up until 1995, primarily the incidence among elderly men after age 70 was on the rise. The steep upward flux of the incidence curve observed after 1995 concerns mainly younger men in their sixties. During the first phase until 1995, early detection of prostate cancer was usually based on tissue biopsies.The second phase of the rise started parallel to the introduction of tests for prostate-specific antigen (PSA tests). This suggests that younger men, too, have undergone this simple blood test even before symptoms of cancer start occurring. The fact that carcinomas in very early stages are thereby detected could at least partly account for the rise. Thus, similar increases were observed in the incidences of breast cancer following the introduction of mammography screenings and of cervical cancer after PAP smears for early diagnosis had been introduced. Participation in early detection screenings also has effects on familial cancer risk. Hemminki and Lorenzo Bermejo have analyzed data of brother pairs who were both affected by prostate cancer. If one of the brothers is diagnosed with the disease, then there are increased chances that the other one, concerned about his own health, will undergo an early detection examination. This may reveal carcinomas which have not yet produced any symptoms and which, under different familial circumstances, may not have been detected until many years later or possibly never at all. Due to this effect, the scientists advise to also apply caution when analyzing data on genetic cancer risk: Human behavior is influenced by many factors that may have an effect on cancer statistics and may at first sight be misinterpreted as genetic influences. The task of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum in Heidelberg (German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ) is to systematically investigate the mechanisms of cancer development and to identify cancer risk factors. The results of this basic research are expected to lead to new approaches in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Center is financed to 90 percent by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and to 10 percent by the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V., HGF). Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum |
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| Related Prostate Cancer Current Events and Prostate Cancer News Articles New figures on cancer in Europe show a steady decline in mortality but big variations New figures on deaths from cancer in Europe show a steady decline in mortality between the periods 1990-1994 and 2000-2004. Deaths from all cancers in the European Union (EU) between these two periods fell by nine percent in men and eight percent in women, with a large drop among the middle-aged population. Researchers Identify Role of Gene in Tumor Development, Growth and Progression Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis. Common pain relief medication may encourage cancer growth Although morphine has been the gold-standard treatment for postoperative and chronic cancer pain for two centuries, a growing body of evidence is showing that opiate-based painkillers can stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells. Young athletes need dual screening tests for heart defects, study suggests To best detect early signs of life-threatening heart defects in young athletes, screening programs should include both popular diagnostic tests, not just one of them, according to new research from heart experts at Johns Hopkins. Routine evaluation of prostate size not as effective in cancer screening, Mayo study finds New Mayo Clinic research studied the association between prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and prostate size and found that routine annual evaluation of prostate growth is not necessarily a predictor for the development of prostate cancer. Carnegie Mellon researchers link health-care debate to risk of dying in US and Europe The current health care debate in the United States is complicated. Trade-offs between heath care expenditures, lifestyle choices and life expectancy have been suggested but seldom clearly demonstrated. New finding suggests prostate biopsy is not always necessary Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that some elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men may be caused by a hormone normally occurring in the body, and are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy. Does prostate-specific antigen velocity help in early detection prostate cancer? The November issue of European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology, features an article focussing on prostate specific antigen (PSA) velocity and early cancer detection. It has been suggested that changes in PSA over time aid prostate cancer detection. New Synthetic Molecules Trigger Immune Response to HIV and Prostate Cancer Researchers at Yale University have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body's immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells. Their findings, published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases. Chemo-radiation before prostate removal may prevent cancer recurrence Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is safe and may have the potential to reduce cancer recurrence and improve patient survival. More Prostate Cancer Current Events and Prostate Cancer News Articles |
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