Volunteers get injected with virus to help find vaccine

To help test drugs for dengue, and soon Zika virus, some people are getting infected on purpose

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/volunteers-get-injected-with-virus-to-help-find-vaccine/

3-year-old with cancer gets postcards from around the world

Ellie Walton has terminal brain cancer but is seeing sights from across the globe with the help of strangers

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-year-old-with-cancer-gets-postcards-from-around-the-world/

A Healthy Heart May Protect an Aging Brain

Study found seniors who met more heart-healthy goals showed less decline in thinking skills

From: http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20160316/a-healthy-heart-may-protect-an-aging-brain?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Verbal Skills of Women With Alzheimer's

Gender difference could slow diagnosis in women, researchers say

From: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20160316/women-with-alzheimers-may-keep-verbal-skills-longer-than-men?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mistaken pregnancy diagnosis actually terminal cancer

22-year-old woman from the U.K. had a tumor in her liver that spread to the rest of her body

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/woman-dies-after-doctors-mistake-cancer-for-pregnancy/

New Dengue Virus Vaccine Shows Promise

Research may also aid in development of Zika virus vaccine, expert suggests

From: http://www.webmd.com/vaccines/news/20160316/new-dengue-virus-vaccine-shows-promise?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mayo Clinic Minute: Hepatitis C Epidemic

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir3l8MISjAo

How parents' fights with teens can help development

Psychologist Lisa Damour says how conflict is handled at home can affect teens' quality of relationships elsewhere

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/psychologist-lisa-damour-parent-conflict-could-help-teens-development-relationships/

How likely are birth defects from Zika virus?

New study is the first to estimate how many babies may be born with microcephaly linked to Zika virus

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/zika-virus-risk-of-microcephaly-birth-defect-1-in-100/

Can you really get a stroke from a hair salon visit?

A California woman is suing a beauty parlor because she said getting her hair washed there caused her to have a stroke

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-beauty-parlor-stroke-syndrome-real/

Many With AFib Miss Out on Blood Thinners

Less than half at highest risk take recommended blood-thinning medication, study finds

From: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/atrial-fibrillation/news/20160316/many-with-irregular-heartbeat-missing-out-on-stroke-preventing-treatments?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Should You Stop Drinking?

When Robert Parmer gave up alcohol, it wasn’t for any of your classic reasons. The benefits lasted long after he decided it was okay to have a beer again. WebMD shares his story.

From: http://www.webmd.com/diet/20160316/stop-drinking-alcohol?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Antibiotic Resistance Common in Kids' UTIs

Researchers say threat is worrisome because children are at high risk of kidney complications

From: http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20160316/antibiotic-resistance-common-in-kids-urinary-tract-infections?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Long-term hormonal therapy benefits men with locally advanced prostate cancer

Hormonal therapy, also known as androgen-deprivation therapy, can be a powerful weapon in the fight against prostate cancer because it deprives malignant cells of the fuel they need to grow. Androgens — meaning the family of male sex hormones that includes testosterone — contribute to physical characteristics such as a deeper voice, thick facial hair, and increased muscle strength and bone mass. But when prostate cancer develops, testosterone also contributes to tumor growth and progression. Depending on the specific treatment used, hormonal therapy can either stop the body from making testosterone or prevent it from interacting with cancer cells.

Though it was once reserved solely for treating prostate cancer that has spread, doctors now also combine hormonal therapy with radiation to treat locally advanced tumors that have not yet spread to more distant locations, such as the bones. Hormonal therapy reduces the chance that a tumor will progress or return, and it makes radiotherapy more effective at controlling prostate cancer. But it also causes side effects such as weight gain and bone loss, and the optimal duration of treatment remains an open question.

The latest study results are promising

Studies have consistently shown that the longer a man receives hormonal therapy, the better his chances for extended survival. Now, results from a phase 3 clinical trial suggest that men with locally advanced prostate cancer should get at least 2 years of additional hormonal therapy after finishing their initial combined treatment. “Our question was simply: is a short course or a long course of treatment better for the patient?” said Dr. Colleen Lawton, clinical director of radiation oncology at Milwaukee’s Medical College of Wisconsin, who led the research. “And we found that the survival benefits of long-term hormonal therapy outweigh the risks.”

The study, known as RTOG 9202, was launched in 1992. It enrolled approximately 1,500 men with cancer confined to both lobes of the prostate, or cancer that had spread into nearby tissues, such as the bladder. All the patients had prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels lower than 150 nanograms per milliliter, and their Gleason scores — which describe the aggressiveness of a prostate tumor — ranged from 6 (not aggressive) to between 8 and 10 (highly aggressive). The participants’ ages ranged from 43 to 88, with a median of 70 years, and the vast majority of participants were white.

During the study, half the men got only four months of hormonal therapy, starting 2 months before radiation treatment and continuing for two months during radiation treatment. The other half got that treatment plus 2 years of additional hormonal therapy.

Lawton presented the results (which have not yet been published) last November at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. The data show that after a median follow-up of 20 years, men who got the long-term treatment had a 40% lower risk of the cancer spreading and a 33% lower risk of dying from prostate cancer than the men who were given hormonal therapy for just 4 months. And in a subset analysis of men with the highest-risk prostate cancer, long-term hormonal therapy dropped the odds of metastasis and death from prostate cancer even further: by 48% and 45%, respectively.

According to Lawton, the side effects of the hormonal treatment were manageable with diet, weight-bearing exercise, and drugs that boost bone density. But she emphasized that researchers are still grappling with how to define long-term hormonal therapy. As an example, she mentioned that a different study of men with locally advanced prostate cancer presented at a medical meeting in 2013 had found that disease-specific survival rates were nearly identical whether hormonal therapy lasted 18 or 36 months.

“The duration of treatment for localized prostate cancer is complicated and controversial, especially with the known cardiovascular side effects of some types of hormonal therapy,” said Dr. Marc Garnick, the Gorman Brothers Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and editor in chief of HarvardProstateKnowledge.org. “Few would argue with the view that for patients with high-risk features, such as high PSA and Gleason scores, longer is better. But we still need more clarity on the lower-risk patient populations.”

Related Post:

• Active surveillance is safe for low-risk prostate cancers
• Promising results for a targeted drug in advanced prostate…
• Prostate cancer lives as it is born: slow-growing and benign
• Untangling the non-invasive breast cancer controversy
• Following low-risk prostate cancers before starting…

The post Long-term hormonal therapy benefits men with locally advanced prostate cancer appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Charlie Schmidt http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/long-term-hormonal-therapy-benefits-men-with-locally-advanced-prostate-cancer-201603169344

Endodontists highlight technology for Root Canal Awareness Week

Root Canal Awareness Week’s 10th anniversary, observed March 27-April 2.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/march/survey-67-percent-fear-root-canal-treatment

Scientists Assess Zika Risk to Pregnant Women

A woman infected in 1st trimester has 1 in 100 chance of delivering baby with microcephaly, data suggests

From: http://www.webmd.com/news/20160315/scientists-assess-risk-to-pregnant-women-infected-with-zika?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Buddha-image issues: Thailand's monks urged to diet

A new study found soaring rates of obesity among the Buddhist country's clergy, and the government must pay for the healthcare

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/buddha-image-issues-thailand-monks-urged-to-diet/

Teen who sought medical marijuana has died

Epilepsy patient Cyndimae Meehan moved to Maine with her mom to access medical marijuana after FDA-approved drugs failed to help

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cyndimae-meehan-teen-with-epilepsy-who-sought-medical-marijuana-has-died/

How fighting with your teen impacts development

If you find yourself sparring with your teen, psychologist Lisa Damour says don't panic

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/how-fighting-with-your-teen-impacts-development/

CDC urges doctors to back off opioid painkiller prescriptions

The director said over-prescribing these medications is a "key driver" of the country’s drug overdose epidemic

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/cdc-urges-doctors-to-back-off-opioid-painkiller-prescriptions/

Should Women Wait to Get Pregnant If Traveling to a Zika Endemic Area?

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr4mBlC3i5A

Applying Minute Material to Cancer Care

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSoo_u8IXOQ

Poor Diet and Lack of Exercise Accelerate the Onset of Age-Related Conditions in Mice

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRqmxfwf9aI

WHO: Five years of conflict in Syria

From: World Health Organization http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7IgFR0-vmA

Do doctors treat difficult patients as well as nice ones?

A new study investigates what happens to medical care when the patient is difficult

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/difficult-patients-doctors-medical-care/

Seasonal affective disorder treatment: Choosing a light therapy box

If you have seasonal affective disorder, don't spend a lot of money on a light box until you learn what features to consider.

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/in-depth/seasonal-affective-disorder-treatment/art-20048298