WARNING ISSUED TO RELATIVES OF PROSTATE CANCER VICTIMS.Byline: The Boston Globe Men whose fathers, grandfathers or brothers had 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. are not only more likely to get it themselves, they are likely to have a more aggressive variety, according to data released Monday. The finding means that men whose close relatives had prostate cancer should be screened earlier for signs of the disease, specialists say. It also suggests that these men may need more rigorous treatment and follow-up. ``Our study lends strong support to recommendations that men with family histories of prostate cancer should be screened starting at age 40,'' said Dr. Eric A. Klein, a study author who is chief of urologic oncology at the Cleveland Clinic. The report has large implications, since doctors will diagnose prostate cancer in 334,500 American men this year, the most common cancer diagnosis. About 42,000 men will die of the disease this year, making it second to lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. in the number of cancer deaths. Diagnosed when it is early and localized, prostate cancer is curable cur·a·ble adj. Capable of being cured or healed. . Widespread use of a blood test called prostate-specific antigen prostate-specific antigen n. Abbr. PSA A protease secreted by the epithelial cells of the prostate gland. Serum levels are elevated in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. , or PSA (Professional Services Automation) An information system designed to organize, track and manage all opportunities, work, resources, costs, revenues and invoices to improve the productivity and efficiency of the workforce. , has reduced the proportion of prostate cancer considered incurable at the time of diagnosis from about 50 percent to 5 percent, Klein said. The study, presented at scientific sessions of the American Urological Association in New Orleans, found that two-thirds of prostate cancer patients with no family history of the disease were free of recurrence five years after their prostate glands were removed. By contrast, only 46 percent of men who had close relatives with prostate cancer were free of any signs of recurrence five years after surgery. The Cleveland researchers determined recurrence by monitoring PSA levels in 529 study subjects. Klein said any PSA level above zero in a man who has had his prostate completely removed is a signal the cancer has spread to bones or other organs, even if no tumor is yet visible by any other test. ``There's no question a positive PSA test in such patients has clinical significance,'' Klein said. ``A rising PSA after treatment is an accepted definition of treatment failure.'' Dr. Richard D. Williams, chairman 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 the University of Iowa Not to be confused with Iowa State University. The first faculty offered instruction at the University in March 1855 to students in the Old Mechanics Building, situated where Seashore Hall is now. In September 1855, the student body numbered 124, of which, 41 were women. Medical School, said the new data underscore the need for all primary-care doctors to question male patients about prostate cancer in their relatives and screen for early signs of the disease, at least by age 40. |
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