Prostate Cancer Uses Metabolic Switch To Thrive After Hormone Therapy
Finding points toward a new approach that directly targets the cancers fuel source
DURHAM, N.C. Studying the cellular metabolism of prostate cancer, a team of Duke Health-led researchers identified a key reason hormone therapies eventually fail, while also laying out a way to bypass the problem using an entirely new therapeutic approach.
The findings, published during the week of March 22 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describe how hormone therapies target the androgen receptor to essentially starve tumor cells of a crucial fuel source. This initially works well to halt tumor growth, but then the cancer cells compensate, switching to a different enzyme to exploit the fuel and proliferating as they become resistant to hormone therapies.
The team of Duke Cancer Institute researchers used that finding to propose a treatment strategy that eliminates the need to inhibit the androgen receptor completely. Their goal is to directly target the tumors preferred source of fuel an amino acid called glutamine.
In studies using prostate cancer cell lines, human prostate cancer tissue and animal models, the novel therapeutic strategy successfully inhibited tumor growth. Clinical trials are in being planned using a currently available drug that inhibits glutamine use by tumor cells.
Our work demonstrates this metabolic switch to be one of the key mechanisms in therapeutic resistance and disease progression, George said.
Things You Cant Change: Age Race And Genes
Prostate cancer is primarily a disease of aging. As you get older, your chances of developing prostate cancer increase. Race and genetics also play a significant role. If you are African American, your chances of developing prostate cancer are double those of white American men. If your father, brother or multiple blood relatives had prostate cancer, you are more likely to get it, too.
Preventing prostate cancer might be difficult if you have these risk factors, but screening early and often can help ensure that if you do get cancer, its diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
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What Do The Dre Results Mean
A digital rectal examination is a test used to see if you might have a prostate problem or prostate cancer.
Your prostate may feel:
- normal a normal size for your age with a smooth surface
- larger than expected for your age this could be a sign of an enlarged prostate
- hard or lumpy this could be a sign of prostate cancer.
The DRE is not a completely accurate test. Your doctor or nurse cant feel the whole prostate. And a man with prostate cancer might have a prostate that feels normal.
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How To Add More Fish To Your Diet
Adding more omega-3s to your diet can be as easy as cracking open a can of sardines or tuna. Not everyone is so enthusiastic about fish, though. Plus, it can also be expensive.
If you havent enjoyed fish in the past, try a different type. Each one has a unique flavor. The flavor is also milder if the fish is fresh, so you may enjoy fish more if you buy it from a fish counter and make it that day.
Cod, flounder, and trout have milder flavors. Try topping your fish with a lemon sauce or adding it to another prostate-friendly food. For example, you could try baked cod in a tomato sauce.
To stretch your dollar, you can also add fish to dishes like pasta, soup, salad, or sandwiches. That way you wont need as much fish to make a complete meal.
You can also ask your healthcare provider about taking omega-3 supplements.
Summary
Fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel, contain healthful omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds may help keep the prostate healthy, though more studies are needed.
Testosterone May Fight As Well As Feed Prostate Cancers
Oncology
In a surprising finding that suggests radical changes in the way prostate cancer is managed, researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center have shown in laboratory experiments that the male hormone testosterone, which fuels prostate cancers early in their growth, can in later stages cause tumors to stop growing or even shrink.
In a surprising finding that suggests radical changes in the wayprostate cancer is managed, researchers at the University of ChicagoMedical Center have shown in laboratory experiments that the malehormone testosterone, which fuels prostate cancers early in theirgrowth, can in later stages cause tumors to stop growing or evenshrink.
The finding is reported in the October 15 issue of the Proceedingsof the National Academy of Sciences.
Doctors have routinely used surgical or chemical castration toslow the growth of cancer that has spread beyond the gland since1941, when University of Chicago urologist Charles Huggins showedthat prostate cancers require testosterone for growth and demonstratedthe effectiveness of removing the hormone. Huggins received theNobel Prize for this work in 1966.
Men treated with antihormone therapy often show dramatic improvement.But within a few years, the tumors regrow because the cells losetheir dependency on testosterone and are able to thrive withoutit.
Interesting Preliminary Finding
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How Prostate Cancer Causes Diet Problems
Some cancer treatments can lead to long term changes to your diet, affecting how you eat and what you can eat.
Advice about what you should eat is different if you are underweight. For example, you should eat full fat products to add calories to your diet.
Always speak to your doctor, specialist nurse or dietitian if you have problems with diet or weight loss. They can give you advice about how to adapt your diet.
Whats A Prostate Cancer Diet
The truth is, theres no specific diet that will help you prevent or treat prostate cancer, but there are some general guidelines, according to sources like this PDF from the University of California at San Francisco . Good nutrition may be associated with a lower risk of developing cancer, along with reduced risk of the disease progressing after a diagnosis.
However, the research is still out on whether your diet can really impact prostate cancer risk and prognosis. Steven Canfield, MD, the chief of urology for McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston , says that while there have been a lot of studies looking at specific diets for prostate cancer, they havent been very revealing. Unfortunately, he says, none of them have really panned out to show any significant prevention.
But he adds an exception: It does seem to be that whats good for your heart is good for your prostate.
The UCSF cancer center developed diet guidelines for prostate cancer that recommend plentiful intake of a wide variety of vegetables and whole grains, healthy sources of protein , and healthy fats .
If these diet recommendations sound a lot like the Mediterranean diet, your instincts are right: Theres evidence that this food plan helps lower risk of death from prostate cancer.
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Checking For Psa At Home
Itâs best to look for prostate symptoms and then screen using a Prostate Specific Antigen blood test. While there is no physical way for you to check for prostate cancer at home, there are at-home screening options for PSA. imaware⢠at-home test for PSA can help screen you for prostate issues.
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Myths About Nutrition And Cancer
Dispelling some myths:
- Coffee does not increase your risk of cancer
- Lycopene, selenium, vitamin E supplements do not lower the risk of prostate cancer
- It’s not as simple as “sugar feeds cancer”Insulin is the key factor.
To control insulin levels in your body, choose minimally processed grains and include healthy fats exercise nearly everyday keep your body fat, especially belly fat low.
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Screening For Prostate Cancer
There are no tests available with sufficient accuracy to screen populations of men for early signs of prostate cancer. However, early detection and treatment can significantly improve prostate cancer survival.
The test most commonly used to aid early detection of prostate cancer is the prostate specific antigen blood test. This is not a diagnostic test as it can only indicate changes in the prostate. If you are concerned about prostate cancer you should talk to your doctor and make an informed choice about whether to have one of the tests designed to find early signs of prostate cancer, in view of the potential risks and benefits.
There are no proven measures to prevent prostate cancer.
What Is Bph And How Does It Affect Me
The prostate gland surrounds the urethra and assists in reproduction. As a man ages, the prostate gets larger and begins to put pressure on the bladder and urethra, causing uncomfortable symptoms. It may be responsible for blocking the flow of urine out of the bladder, and can cause issues in the bladder, urinary tract, or kidneys.
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Emfs And Telephones And Cellphones
Telephones, especially cordless telephones, can emit surprisingly strong EMFs from the handset. This is a problem because of course we hold the telephone so close to our head. Place a Gauss meter right against the ear piece and the mouth piece before buying a phone or better yet, do NOT use cordless phones in your home. Cellphones have gotten a ton of press regarding EMFs. Surprise, surprise, every study that produced that show no ill-effects from cellphones was paid for by the cellphone industry. Always read into the possible biases of scientific studies.
Emfs And Electric Clocks Fluorescent Lights And Appliances
Electric clocks sitting on bedside stands across America have a very high magnetic field, as much as 5 to 10 mG up to three feet away. Its like sleeping in an EMF equivalent to that of a power line. Think about moving all clocks and other electrical devices at least 6 feet from your bed or better, NOT in the room which you sleep.
Fluorescent lights produce much more EMFs than incandescent bulbs. A typical fluorescent lamp in an office ceiling have readings of 160 to 200 mg 1 inch away thats horrible.
Microwave ovens and radar from military installations and airports emit two types of radiation microwave and ELF. All microwave ovens leak and exceed safety limits. In addition, recent Russian studies have shown that normal microwave cooking coverts food protein molecules into carcinogenic substances.
Electric razors and hair dryers emit EMFs as high as 200 to 400 mG for the sort time they are in use. There just are not enough studies that prove whether short-term, high EMF exposure is more or less damaging than chronic exposure to a 2-3 mG field. Some EMF consultants recommend that hair dryers not be used on children as the high fields are held close to their rapidly developing brain and nervous system can be a problem.
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The Complexities Of Diet
The study shows that the bodys internal fat production processes are an important part of the life history of cancer cells, but the study doesnt definitively show that a high-fat diet rather than obesity is what promoted cancer, Dr. Hannun said. Jill Hamilton-Reeves, Ph.D., a nutritionist who studies prostate cancer at the University of Kansas Medical Center, agreed.
In addition, it is important to note that the two different diets fed to the mice differed in more ways than just the percent fat content, she said, adding that the mice on a high-fat diet consumed 60% of their calories from fat, well above the 20%40% of calories from fat in the average Western diet.
She pointed out that, in addition to lard, the high-fat pellets contained sugar, starch, and many other ingredients not found in the regular chow, which contained healthier ingredients such as whole wheat, fish meal, and wheat germ. The mice on the high-fat diet quickly gained weight, while the mice on the control diet maintained their weight.
Overall diet patterns generally are more relevant to health than any single isolated nutrient, Dr. Hamilton-Reeves said.
The core of the story is that we have a mechanism, Dr. Pandolfi said. You can see the interplay between the environment and genes. At that interface, helpful interventions seem within reach, he added.
Energy Consumption And Prostate Cancer
Total energy consumption may be another important factor in the development of prostate cancer. Excessive caloric intake, regardless of its source, may lead to obesity, which correlates with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Mukherjee et al demonstrated that in castrated and noncastrated mice, regardless of castration , all of the groups in which energy intake was restricted developed cancers that were smaller and slower growing, had decreased microvessel density, and had a decreased cell-proliferation index. In this study, cancer cells from the Dunning R3327-H and from LNCaP were transplanted into severe combined immunodeficiency mice. Diet was not restricted in one group. A second group was castrated and subdivided into 2 subgroupsone with an energy-intake restriction of 20% and one with a restriction of 40%. Finally, another group was not castrated but had caloric restriction.
On the basis of the results of a transgenic mouse model, Huffman et al concluded that the ability of caloric restriction to inhibit cancer development and progression is partially mediated by changes in energy balance, body mass, and body composition rather than just caloric intake. This implies that the risk of developing prostate cancer depends more on excess caloric retention, which leads to obesity, rather than just excessive caloric consumption.
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What To Do About Emfs
Dr. Sinatra wrote a book with Clinton Ober and Martin Zucker titled Earthing. It goes into details on the need for all of us to remain grounded with the earth. I know to most reading this book, these concepts sound more like something out of the hippy generation, but it makes scientific sense. Grounding or Earthing as spoken of in the book I referred to is natural and simple, and affects every aspect of your physiology. When you ground yourself, you physically add electrons to your body and thereby increase pH to the tissue an important concept in those with cancer.
James Oschman, Ph.D., an internationally renowned expert on energy medicine and author of Energy Medicine The Scientific Basis, describes the phenomenon of personal grounding/Earthing: Recently I attended a meeting on the East coast. One of my colleagues came in from the West coast. She had a bad case of jet lag. I told her to take her shoes and socks off and step outside on the grass for 15 minutes. When she came back in, she was completely transformed. Her jet lag was gone. That is how fast Earthing works. Anyone can try this. If you dont feel well, for whatever reason, just make barefoot contact with the Earth for a few minutes and see what happens. Of course, if you have a medical problem, you should see a doctor. There is nothing that comes close to Earthing for quick relief. You can literally feel pain draining from your body the instant you touch the Earth.
How To Add More Tomatoes To Your Diet
Incorporating more tomato-based recipes into your diet is simple.
There are many nutritious tomato dishes to try. For example, adding some sun-dried or fresh tomatoes to salads, eating your eggs with sliced tomatoes or salsa, and enjoying tomato-based soups are excellent ways to boost your lycopene intake.
In the summer months, you can buy fresh, local tomatoes to add to sandwiches and chop into salads.
Drinking plain tomato juice each morning is another good option. Just make sure to pick a low sodium variety.
Summary
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Starving Prostate Cancer With What You Eat For Dinner
New research from The University of Texas at Austin identifies several natural compounds found in food, including turmeric, apple peels and red grapes, as key ingredients that could thwart the growth of prostate cancer.
AUSTIN, Texas When you dine on curry and baked apples, enjoy the fact that you are eating something that could play a role starving or even preventing cancer.
New research from The University of Texas at Austin identifies several natural compounds found in food, including turmeric, apple peels and red grapes, as key ingredients that could thwart the growth of prostate cancer, the most common cancer afflicting U.S. men and a key area of focus during Mens Health Month, which public health advocates celebrate in June.
Published online this week in Precision Oncology, the new paper uses a novel analytical approach to screen numerous plant-based chemicals instead of testing a single agent as many studies do, discovering specific combinations that shrink prostate cancer tumors.
After screening a natural compound library, we developed an unbiased look at combinations of nutrients that have a better effect on prostate cancer than existing drugs, says corresponding author Stefano Tiziani, assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Dell Pediatric Research Institute at UT Austin. The beauty of this study is that we were able to inhibit tumor growth in mice without toxicity.
Diet And Prostate Cancer
After a diagnosis of cancer, people often look at changing their diet. You should try to follow a healthy diet. This is important for your general health as well as helping you recover from cancer. It can also help you stay at a healthy weight and lower your risk of developing other conditions.
There isnt any strong evidence that you should eat or avoid particular foods. There is research looking into how diet can affect cancer.
Treatment for prostate cancer can cause problems with your diet, such as diarrhoea after radiotherapy. And some men find it difficult to maintain a healthy weight, they might be over or under weight.
Your doctor can refer you to a dietitian if you have problems.
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