New study underscores the importance of exercise for prostate cancer patients.
In earlier entries, I’ve written of the need to maintain weight loss following a diagnosis of prostate cancer. There is that hockey stick curve that demonstrates the chances of recurrence dramatically increasing with each pound gained. Now, data from a recent study conducted by researchers from Harvard and UCSF, and published online by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, indicates that men who maintain more vigorous levels of physical activity have the lowest risk of dying from this disease. How’s that for motivation?
According to a news release issued from Harvard, “Our results suggest that men can reduce their risk of prostate cancer progression after a diagnosis of prostate cancer by adding physical activity to their daily routine,” said Stacey Kenfield, lead author of the study and a Harvard School of Public Health researcher. “This is good news for men living with prostate cancer who wonder what lifestyle practices to follow to improve cancer survival.”
Researchers who conducted the study reported that the results showed that both non-vigorous and vigorous activity were beneficial for overall survival. Compared with men who walked less than 90 minutes per week at an easy pace, those who walked 90 or more minutes per week at a normal to very brisk pace had a 46% lower risk of dying from any cause. Hopwever, only vigorous activity—defined as more than three hours per week—was associated with reduced prostate cancer mortality. Men who did vigorous activity had a 61% lower risk of prostate cancer-specific death compared with men who did less than one hour per week of vigorous activity.
In addition to having an effect on outcomes, exercise, including light weight lifting, can also help mitigate the fatigue often associated with radiation therapy. Although, anyone who has been through it can appreciate the challenge of trying to exercise “vigorously” while just trying to stay awake and move through your day! While every patient is unique and at vastly different phases of their treatment, the take away is clear: a modest amount of vigorous activity such as biking, tennis, jogging, or even walking at a brisk pace for at least 3 hours a week may substantially improve prostate cancer survival.
This Harvard, UCSF was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Charles A. King Trust and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. PCF is an ardent supporter of research studying the effects of lifestyle factors on prostate cancer. For more information on diet, exercise and prostate cancer, you can download or order a free copy of PCF’s Nutrition and Exercise Guide.
Prostate cancer is a serious health concern in Georgia. According to the American Cancer Society, the state of Georgia ranks 11th in number of estimated deaths per capita from the disease. In an effort to raise awareness about prostate cancer and ensure more men commit to be informed and screened, several companies and media organizations have joined the Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition in launching a pledge campaign.
The Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition, RC Cancer Centers and the Georgia Department of Community Health along with the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers, UPS, CR Bard, WXIA Television, Morehouse School of Medicine, KISS 104.1 Radio and WSB Radio are supporting this initiative to increase prostate cancer awareness throughout the state of Georgia.
“Specifically, we are encouraging every man who is over the age of 40 in Georgia to speak to his doctor and take the pledge to get screened for prostate cancer,” said Frank Catroneo, Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition Board Member. “Our goal is to have 10,000 men in Georgia pledge to have the conversation with their doctors and/or be screened between now and April 20, 2011.”
M. Rony Francois, MD, MSPH, PhD, Director, DCH Division of Public Health and State Health Officer said, “I look forward to the potential that this pledge campaign holds in increasing the number of men who talk to their doctor about prostate cancer screening.”
To encourage prostate cancer discussions and screenings, the Atlanta Hawks and the Georgia Prostate Cancer Pledge committee will provide two tickets to several Atlanta Hawks home games, starting with the December 7th home game versus the New Jersey Nets, to the first 2,000 men who commit to being screened for the first time. Men can visit http://www.hawks.com/ or http://www.georgiaprostatecancerpledge.com/ to make their screening pledge and redeem their complimentary tickets online.
There will be a number of activities and events to help educate men and their loved ones, and to bring awareness to the serious health impact of prostate cancer for all concerned. The events will culminate in April with a prostate cancer symposium, a golf tournament, a motorcycle ride, video testimonials of survivors and much more.
Michael Holton, president and COO of RC Cancer Centers, which specializes in the ProstRcision treatment for prostate cancer said, “Throughout the campaign, we will be offering free of charge PSA screenings for men over 40 years old, who have not been diagnosed with prostate cancer or previously treated for this disease. They can be screened at any one of our five locations in Georgia. For screening locations, visit http://www.rccancercenters.com/.”
Current data available from Georgia Department of Community Health, the Centers for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society show:
“It is crucial for men to maintain an ongoing relationship with their healthcare provider as the risk for prostate cancer will vary from person to person,” said Roland Matthews, M.D., from Morehouse School of Medicine and Director of Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Health System.
A prostate screening PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is a simple blood test which will not define a man’s prostate cancer status, but provides the basis for men to start the right conversations with their doctor. When prostate cancer is detected early, it is a very curable disease.
To learn more about this prostate cancer initiative, visit www.GeorgiaProstateCancerPledge.com .
There are several things that one can control – one of which is our thoughts about the circumstances we are dealing with at the present time. Stress is, in many cases, as an inevitable by-product of life’s less than pleasant circumstances. How we deal with stress is, truly up to us.
As the growing body of research shows the powerful effects that our mind have on our body, it’s important to find an appropriate way to access those emotions, release them, and reap the positive benefits on the immune system. It is also important to incorporate a complete program that improves upon the assets that are already part of their body – our thoughts being one of many.
Learn to bring forth the elements within your body and mind that will help you with the stress levels you face while helping you reduce their ill effects.
That gentle touch, that special look, that warm feeling that comes from within. Intimacy is a gentle reminder of love, caring, passion, and trust. That sense of belonging to someone other than ourselves.
For men dealing with prostate cancer, the challenges are many: from realizing that their bodies are being invaded by this disease and having to decide whether to get treated or carefully wait, while wondering if their ability to be intimate may be affected by the type of treatment chosen. After going through the ups and downs of it all, one thing remains – you are alive! While the relationship with your partner may change, enjoying your adult life is not over.
Now is the time to talk to your partner, and communicate as openly and honestly as you ever have about sex and intimacy: what you need, what you want, and what you are feeling. Your partner can help you get through this difficult time, and you shouldn’t sacrifice the relationship while fighting prostate cancer. Your physician can also help. Ask questions, talk about your fears and learn how deal with each aspect of this life-changing experience.
Is it okay to have sex during treatment? Talk to your doctor to learn if it is okay for you to have sex. It depends on your type of treatment. Most men can have sex during their treatment.
When interest in sex dwindles, it is not cause for fear or that something is wrong. Be easy on yourself. You are going through a lot. You may be worried or tired from your treatment. Most likely you will feel better once treatment ends. For now, talk with your partner and find other ways to stay close to each other.
Sexual changes happen very slowly over a period of six months to one year after radiation therapy. Talk with your doctor or nurse to learn what you should expect.
The emotional connection you get from intimacy should not be erased by cancer treatment.
Take control of your prostate health. And help other men do the same.
Last week, the Los Angeles Movember launch event had downtown fire fighters out in full force. Their goal is to challenge a total of 100 firehouses in the greater LA area to join the cause in 2010 and, of course, to start follicularly-stimulated discussions about the scope and severity of the prostate cancer problem. At Davidson College in South Carolina, students will kick off Movember on November 1st with participants wearing suits and ties on campus to focus on the movement. In Westwood, members of the UCLA Greek system are also turning in their razors for a month. The list goes on.
Fun? Definitely. Frivilous? Certainly not. They are all helping to save lives.
In ten countries around the globe, men will soon be letting their hair out to support awareness and raise crucial funds for finding better treatments and cures for this disease that affects more than 16 million men and families around the world. Since 2004, Mo’ bros and Mo’ sistas have raised more than $40 million dollars to support research for men’s diseases. What’s more, in the U.S. they are changing the way prostate cancer is viewed. The Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG are the beneficiaries of Movember efforts in the States. In its first three years in the U.S., Movember raised $2.3 million to support prostate cancer research through PCF. This year’s goal is $2 million. That’s a whole lotta mo’s and mo’ola.
Adam Garone is a founder of this unique movement that first started growing in Australia. He and his global team have engaged and motivated an entire generation of young men to tear down the taboos around prostate cancer and educate their contemporaries and their families about the second most deadly cancer for American men, after lung cancer. In 2010, it is estimated that 218,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. and more than 32,000 American men will die from it. By 2015, the number of new U.S. cases each year could rise above 300,000.
Literally and figuratively, Movember is definitely living up to it tagline: Changing the Face of Men’s Health. The teaching moment starts the moment anyone asks a participant, “What’s that on your face?”
The annual Movember campaign is fun, quirky and purposeful. It’s also proof that one should never be too quick to dismiss a good idea that might arise on a weekend afternoon while having a few beers with your mates. Interested? More information on Movember can be found at www.Movember.com.
By Rebecca Webber
Mary McGuire-Wien and her husband, Charles Wildbank, had been searching for a new home on Long Island for more than a year, but every place they’d seen was either unsuitable or unaffordable. After one long Sunday of unsuccessful house-hunting with their agent, the couple was anxious to get back home, but got stuck at a traffic light right next to an old barn that was under renovation. “A guy in a hard hat looked over at us and said, ‘Are you looking for a house?’” says Mary.
Though the barn didn’t look like a house—it didn’t even have any visible windows—Mary and her husband got out to take a look. The building turned out to be loftlike, with beautiful historical details (including back-facing windows). “A normal family probably wouldn’t want it,” says Mary. “But it was absolutely perfect for us because we needed a space where I could have a yoga retreat, and where Charles could paint.” They agreed to buy the place from the construction worker, who turned out to be the barn’s owner.
Mary and Charles could be considered fortunate—what are the chances that the owner would stop them when they were most in need of a home? And yet, they were the ones who agreed to investigate an unlikely prospect. Their open-mindedness turned a strange moment into a lucky break.
People who spot and seize opportunity are different. They are more open to life’s forking paths, so they see possibilities others miss. And if things don’t work out the way they’d hoped, they brush off disappointment and launch themselves headlong toward the next fortunate circumstance. As a result, they’re happier and more likely to achieve their goals.
Psychologists are figuring out why some people always seem to juggle incredible opportunities. Their insights can help us all lead luckier lives.
To read about these insights and the rest of the article, click here.
African-American men are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed and 2.4 times more likely to die from prostate cancer. With the stark reality that black men and their families are more more likely to be affected by prostate cancer than any other group of our population, two events provided a fitting end to last week’s Advance on Washington: The African-American Prostate Cancer Health Disparities meeting organized by the Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) as part of the Congressional Black Caucus meeting, and the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program (BBHOP) that was held at select barbershops in the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas on Saturday. To read the entire article, click here.
Women tend to be more vigilant than men about getting recommended health checkups and cancer screenings, according to studies and experts.
They’re generally more willing, as well, to get potentially worrisome symptoms checked out, says Mary Daly, MD, oncologist and head of the department of clinical genetics at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
But not always. Younger women, for instance, tend to ignore symptoms that could point to cancer. “They have this notion that cancer is a problem of older people,” Daly tells WebMD. And they’re often right, but plenty of young people get cancer, too.
Of course, some women are as skilled as men are at switching to denial mode. “There are people who deliberately ignore their cancer symptoms,” says Hannah Linden, MD, a medical oncologist. She is a joint associate member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle. It’s usually denial, but not always, she says. “For some, there is a cultural belief that cancer is incurable, so why go there.”
Talking about worrisome symptoms shouldn’t make people overreact, says Ranit Mishori, MD, an assistant professor of family medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. “I don’t want to give people the impression they should look for every little thing,” she says.
With that healthy balance between denial and hypochondria in mind, WebMD asked experts to talk about the symptoms that may not immediately make a woman worry about cancer, but that should be checked out. Read on for 15 possible cancer symptoms women often ignore, by clicking here.
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Also known as RC Cancer Centers.
