A genome-wide study on Japanese subjects has identified 5 new genetic variations linked to prostate cancer and revealed differences and similarities between Europeans and Asians in susceptibility to the disease. Reported in Nature Genetics, the findings offer a first-ever glimpse of the genetic basis for prostate cancer susceptibility in a non-European population. Despite having the lowest rates of prostate cancer in the world, Asian countries have experienced a rapid rise in incidence of the disease.

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With a recent first of its kind surgery, physicians at Mayo Clinic in Arizona have developed a new surgical procedure for the treatment of prostate cancer using natural orifices – signaling the next step in the evolution of minimally invasive surgery. Removing the prostate is a common treatment for patients with prostate cancer, which affects one in six men in the U.S. according to the American Cancer Society.

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DNA blood tests under development may provide a more accurate way to detect prostate and breast cancer, according to findings presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. The findings, from a study of 575 subjects, showed that the tests have a 92% sensitivity and 100% specificity for detecting both malignancies. By comparison, PSA tests for prostate cancer have demonstrated an 85% sensitivity and 25%-35% specificity.

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Current treatment results for prostate cancer are at an excellent level. Using targeted drugs to increase the radiosensitivity of cancer cells has been proven to improve treatment results in many cancers, without a need to increase radiation doses. The purpose of this study was to estimate the safety and tolerability of the daily administration of 250 mg of gefitinib given concurrently with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy to patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer.

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Looking to harness the body’s own immune system to target prostate cancer that has spread to the bones (metastatic) and is unresponsive to standard treatment, investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) have just launched a clinical trial focusing on a combination of vaccine and radiation drug therapy. The goal is to see if disease progression will be further delayed by adding two different experimental injections to the standard treatment.

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Drinking regular or decaffeinated coffee is associated with a reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer, new research conducted at the Channing Laboratory in Boston suggests. Men who drank the most coffee had a 59% decreased risk of either lethal or advanced prostate cancer compared with men who drank no coffee. The magnitude of risk reduction was more pronounced in men who never smoked.

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USHIFU has announced the establishment of India HIFU and the launch of Sonablate(R) HIFU services in Hyderabad, India at Dr. Ramayya’s Pramila Hospital for the treatment of prostate disease. The introduction of the Sonablate(R)500 and the HIFU technology for the treatment of prostate cancer marks a major milestone in the practice of urology in the Indian sub-continent. As the population is aging with a healthy lifestyle it is imperative that patients with prostate cancer are offered a viable alternative to the existing therapy options of surgery and radiotherapy.

Cardium Therapeutics and its operating unit InnerCool Therapies, Inc., has developed a pelvic cooling catheter system called UroCool(TM). The product is designed to induce localized cooling during surgery for prostate cancer (radical prostatectomy). The new technology is being applied in collaboration with renowned prostate surgeon, Thomas E. The UroCool(TM) catheter is placed within the rectal cavity adjacent to the prostate during surgery. It is used in conjunction with InnerCool’s Celsius Control Console which circulates cold saline in a closed loop within the catheter to allow for localized cooling.

According to the findings of a clinical study conducted by researchers from Umea University in Sweden, adult male patients of locally advanced prostate cancer can gain from addition of radiation to androgen deprivation therapy. The study found that the group which received radiotherapy along with hormone therapy had greater survival rate. The risk of death from prostate cancer was cut by half.

A  recent research led by Dr Eric A Singer, chief urology resident at the Department of Urology, University of Rochester Medical Center has found that men who regularly took common painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had lower circulating levels of PSA (prostate-specific antigen). These levels are the indicators used by doctors to assess whether a person is at risk of prostate cancer. The findings suggest that regular use of NSAIDs lowered PSA levels by almost 10 per cent compared.