PROSTATE CANCER TEST MAY HELP EASE TREATMENT.Byline: Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire California researchers have discovered a new way to detect genetic mutations Noun 1. genetic mutation - (genetics) any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism chromosomal mutation, mutation in prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. that eventually could guide men facing an agonizing decision over treatment. The scientists have developed a new test that could prove to be a useful way to predict which early prostate cancer - the most common cancer in men - is fast-growing and needs to be treated immediately through surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. ``It could have a tremendous impact on the treatment of prostate cancer,'' said Dr. Ralph deVere White, director of the University of California-Davis Cancer Center who worked with others at Georgetown University Georgetown University, in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C.; Jesuit; coeducational; founded 1789 by John Carroll, chartered 1815, inc. 1844. Its law and medical schools are noteworthy, and its archives are especially rich in letters and manuscripts by and on the study. However, the researchers acknowledged that more studies are needed before they know if the mutations, found on a notorious gene called p53, can accurately predict the disease's course. If the prostate cancer is slow-growing - as many are - some men can choose to delay treatment for years or even decades without endangering their lives. And knowing which cases are fast-growing is especially important, compared to other cancers, because treatment can have drastic effects that many men want to avoid. One expert called the new finding ``an exciting result'' because, until now, p53 gene mutations Noun 1. gene mutation - (genetics) a mutation due to an intramolecular reorganization of a gene point mutation genetic science, genetics - the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms were not thought to be common in early prostate cancer. ``It does indicate some men, from the very beginning, could be identified that perhaps are a special group that needs special treatment,'' said Dr. G. Steven Bova, assistant professor of urology urology Medical specialty dealing with the urinary system and male reproductive organs. It traces its origin to medieval lithologists, itinerant healers who specialized in surgical removal of bladder stones. at Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University, mainly at Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins in 1867 had a group of his associates incorporated as the trustees of a university and a hospital, endowing each with $3.5 million. Daniel C. in Baltimore. Prostate cancer strikes about one man in 11, making it almost as common in men as breast cancer is in women. |
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