Prostate Cancer and Health Awareness Month: Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, heart failure, heart attack, blood pressure, and circumcision

Prostate cancer patients on ADT face Alzheimer’s disease risk, lower prostate cancer risk in type 2 diabetics: StudiesSeptember is Prostate Cancer and Health Awareness Month, so we present some of our stories discussing prostate cancer, as well as conditions that can affect prostate health, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, heart failure, heart attack, blood pressure, and circumcision.

The public awareness campaigns are meant to educate men about the prostate as prostate cancer is quite common, especially among aging men. In fact, one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, so it’s important to know the early signs and risk factors for prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer patients on ADT face Alzheimer’s disease risk, lower prostate cancer risk in type 2 diabetics: Studies

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Prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) face the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but type 2 diabetics are less likely to develop prostate cancer, according to research.

The first study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, but merely shows an association between ADT and Alzheimer’s disease.

Lead author Dr. Kevin T. Nead said, “We wanted to contribute to the discussion regarding the relative risks and benefits of ADT, and no one had yet looked at the association between ADT and Alzheimer’s disease. Based on the results of our study, an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease is a potential adverse effect of ADT, but further research is needed before considering changes to clinical practice.” Continue reading…

Parkinson’s disease may increase prostate cancer or melanoma risk: StudyParkinson’s disease may increase prostate cancer or melanoma risk: Study

Parkinson’s disease (PD) may increase prostate cancer or melanoma risk according to research. The results of the study support a genetic link between prostate cancer, melanoma, and Parkinson’s disease. Coauthor Lisa Cannon-Albright explained, “The clinical implications suggest screening for melanoma and prostate cancer in appropriate PD patients and, perhaps, vice versa.”

The researchers looked at data from the Utah Population Database, consisting of over two million individuals with some records spanning over 15 generations. Dr. Cannon-Albright explained, “This unique data resource has allowed us to ask quite complicated questions about disease associations that may have a genetic component by looking for congregation of the diseases in the cases and their relatives.” Continue reading…

Prostate cancer drugs linked to congestive heart failure, heart attack mortality risk in men: StudyProstate cancer drugs linked to congestive heart failure, heart attack mortality risk in men: Study

A recent study published in BJU International states that certainprostate cancer medications can increase the risk of heart-related deaths in men with congestive heart failure or prior heart attacks.

Researchers led by David Ziehr of Harvard Medical School and Paul Nguyen, MD, of the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, found that a common prostate cancer fighting hormone therapy — androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) — increases the risk of heart problems. These include coronary heart disease, diabetes, heart attacks, and sudden cardiac death.

Their analysis is based on an exhaustive study wherein the researchers conducted a detailed analysis lasting close to five years on 5,077 men with prostate cancer. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group (1523 participants) comprised of men who received ADT between 1997 and 2006. The second group of men (3554 participants) did not receive ADT. Continue reading…

Prostate cancer risk in men increases with high blood pressure, blood sugar, and BMI: StudyProstate cancer risk in men increases with high blood pressure, blood sugar, and BMI: Study

Prostate cancer risk in men increases with high blood pressure, blood sugar, and body mass index. Researchers looked at 289,866 men enrolled in a study called the Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer Project.

With the average follow-up time of 12 years, 6,673 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 961 died from the disease. Men with high blood pressure and high body mass index (BMI) were at 36 and 62 percent higher risk, respectively, for prostate cancer-related mortality. Furthermore, men with higher metabolic factor scores also had a higher risk of dying from prostate cancer. Continue reading…

Circumcision reduces prostate cancer risk, most effective after age 35Circumcision reduces prostate cancer risk, most effective after age 35

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Circumcision reduces prostate cancer risk and has been found to be most effective after the age of 35. The findings come from the University of Montreal and the INRS-Institut-Armand-Frappier, revealing that men circumcised after the age of 35 have a 45 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer, compared to uncircumcised men.

For the study, the researchers interviewed 2,114 men. Half of the men had been diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2005 and 2009, and the other half were controls. Men were asked about their lifestyle and medical history, whether or not they were circumcised, at what age they were circumcised, and which procedure was performed.

Overall, men who were circumcised had an 11 percent reduction of the risk of prostate cancer, compared to men who were not circumcised. Babies who were circumcised prior to the age of one had a 14 percent reduction of prostate cancer risk, but also had better protection over the long term against more aggressive types of cancer. Continue reading…

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