Bicalutamide (Casodex) is an antiandrogen or hormonal therapy. Daily treatment with bicalutamide is shown to cut the risk of progression of prostate cancer by 44 percent. It can also reduce the overall risk of death by 35 percent.

The study was done on 1370 patients who were randomized to receive either radiation and a placebo or radiation and 150mg once a day tablet bicalutamide. The findings showed that patients with locally advanced prostate cancer receiving the bicalutamide faired better than those with the placebo. This may be a more suitable treatment instead of castration therapies which can adversely affect the patient’s quality of life.

Bicalutamide has additional quality of life benefits relative to castration in terms of maintaining sexual interest, physical ability, and bone mineral density.

As per the new study, women have a better chance of survival from breast cancer, if they exercise regularly for at least a year prior to diagnosis.

Page Abrahamson, who lead the research, says “We found a beneficial effect of survival for exercise undertaken in the year before diagnosis, particularly among women who were overweight or obese near the time they were diagnosed with breast cancer.”

The study analyzed data on nearly 1,300 women who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the years 1990 to 1992. The women, aged 20 to 52, were asked how frequently they exercised when they were age 13, 20 and during the year before they were diagnosed. They found that regular exercisers fared significantly better with the disease. The women who got the most exercise were 21 percent more likely to survive than those who exercised the least. Women classified as overweight (had a body mass index of 25 or higher) were 30 percent less likely to die if they had exercised regularly.

This news hits hard at women. It is a big issue for women especially the younger ones, who have received chemotherapy for the treatment of particular cancer. Chemotherapy and the menopause due to it, is a disaster for the women’s sex life.

Vaginal dryness and the painful intercourse (also called dyspareunia) are among the major problems reported by women, who have either completed the cancer treatment or are having treatment. Various products can be availed for the cure such as vaginal lubricants, moisturizers, estrogen products and soy products. However, various questions have been raised on the safety on use of soy and vaginal estrogen products for estrogen positive cancers.

At young age, things changes so drastically in your body. It is advisable that you always consult your doctor before you try anything to make sure its safe.

ADELAIDE adventurer Duncan Chessell will attempt to lead 10 Australian cancer survivors to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa today.

His expedition has been trekking towards the summit of the 5896m peak in Tanzania for the past seven days to mark the 21st birthday of cancer support group CanTeen.

The group includes a number of people who are celebrating five years of being cancer free.

Mr Chessell said so far everything had been going to plan.

“This is a strong group of people. They have mental and physical toughness,” he said.

“If the weather is kind to us, I believe we have a good shot at making the top.”

Chessell, 35, is a professional mountaineer and adventurer and is the only South Australia to have reached the top of Mt Everest.

Source: Newsl

A group of more than 300 breast cancer survivors gathered on the field of the MacAfee Coliseum Saturday to form a human “ribbon” of hope.

They filed into the sunlight wearing pink T-shirts and A’s caps, sporting wide grins to participate in the Eighth Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

The day-long celebration was presented by John Muir Heath and partially sponsored by the Contra Costa Times to spread the word about early detection and treatment and to raise money to fight the disease.

For Sherilyn Gordon, a professional singer from Walnut Creek who performed the National Anthem before the game, the day was about lending her voice to the cause. Gordon had no heath insurance and little money when she discovered a lump in her breast several years ago. She credits John Muir with saving her life by helping her get treatment.

“I feel very blessed because I think if I waited very much longer, I think it would have turned out differently,” Gordon said.

She was there Saturday to tell women not to be afraid, to help people understand there are treatment options out there for women of all races and income levels. “You’re not alone,” she said.

Earlier in the day, the women gathered at the Coliseum’s East Side Club for breakfast and speeches. A’s pitcher Kirk Saarloos, whose mother, Linda, is a breast cancer survivor, choked back tears as he told them how she discovered her cancer last year during spring training.

He found out she was keeping the terrifying news from him because she didn’t want his mind clouded as he tried to earn a spot on the team’s roster. “I told her there are more important things than me,” he said. “I’ve got to applaud you guys for all your strength and all that you’ve gone through.”

Cristina Hickey of Walnut Creek, a seven-year survivor told the women that although the disease is “as individual as fingerprints” everyone needs the same thing: steadfast support.

She described how she found a group of survivors and women undergoing treatment and how they helped each other through the hard times. They talked about how to redefine their self-images after the loss of breasts and hair, how to re-energize their sexuality and how to help loved ones cope. “How do you put them at ease when you’re not at ease yourself,” Hickey said.

By all accounts, the day was a success. Even before the A’s took the field against the Baltimore Orioles, organizers had raised more than $100,000 selling memorabilia, special seat tickets and raffle tickets.

Over the past eight years, Breast Cancer Awareness Day has brought in nearly $800,000, said A’s spokeswoman Kristy Fick. The money will be spent on research, education, advocacy and free services for cancer patients in the Bay Area.

Source: Mercury News.com

Faced with a cancer diagnosis, or any challenging life event, you want to talk to someone who has already experienced what you are about to experience. You want to find stories about other people who have overcome adversity, preferably told by the people who went through it first-hand. You want to know what to expect.

Last year, when Katherine Brown’s mother-in-law Ruth was diagnosed with Lymphoma, she went on an internet search to find people Ruth could talk to, who knew what it was like to be diagnosed with cancer, be inspired by the personal stories of triumph over the trials and tribulations of a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment and cancer survivorship.

After an extensive internet search for the kind of community Ruth could connect with, Brown came up empty-handed. As need is the mother of all invention, Brown decided to create what she was looking for and could not find.

The Cancer Buddy Network is a result of Brown’s vision. At the Cancer Buddy Network, you create an account; tell your story; be a buddy. Newly-diagnosed cancer patients, family members and friends, and cancer survivors are welcome. It is the blend of cancer patients, cancer survivors and the loved ones touched by cancer that brings real life hope and inspiration in cancer community support. The Cancer Buddy Network is a recent web destination and it looks very well done. Stop by and give it a look, add your voice to hope.

Source: The Cancer Blog

Hormonal Therapies: Making Decisions and Quality of Life After Breast Cancer is the next teleconference hosted by Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC). Get the latest treatment strategies and learn about quality of life issues surrounding hormonal therapy during a free teleconference from 12 p.m to 1:30 p.m on Tuesday, September 26th.Speaker Ruth Oratz, MD, FACP, associate professor of clinical medicine at the New York University School of Medicine will help you understand how hormonal therapy works and who should consider treatment. You can learn about aromatase inhibitors in treating breast cancer in postmenopausal women, the use of tamoxifen for premenopausal women and how to maintain bone health.

After the presentation, Dr. Oratz will invite you to participate in a 45 minute question and answer session. Register for the teleconference here.

Source: The Cancer Blog

CHICAGO: Hundreds of people took to Lake Michigan today to help raise money for leukemia research. They were participating in the 10th Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta.

CBS 2’s Suzanne Le Mignot spoke with a cancer survivor who took to the water this morning to raise money to find a cure.

This is 38-year-old Travis Wilhite. Looking at him, you’d never think just two years ago, he was fighting for his life. He was diagnosed with incurable Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Right now, he’s in remission.

“I realized at that point, that you know what, in order for me to continue to live like this,” said Wilhite, “to really cash in on the gift that I got of my cancer, that I needed to go out and help other people so they don’t have to go through that.”

Travis along with his wife and friends are taking part in the 10th Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta organized by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They’re among the more than 600 people setting sail on Lake Michigan for the six-mile race.

There are more than 80 boats in the race. Each owner has collected donations. The goal is to raise at least $175,000, with the money going towards finding a cure for lymphoma and leukemia.

Before he set sail, Wilhite had this inspirational message for those battling cancer.

“Keep fighting, hang in there,” he said. “It does get better, I promise. You’re in my thoughts and prayers all the time and I wish you all the very, very best.”

Wilhite says raising awareness and money for cancer research is one of the greatest gifts he will ever leave behind.

In the 10 years the Leukemia Cup Regatta has taken place in Chicago, the event has raised about $1 million for research to find a cure for leukemia and lymphoma.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 15 to 34. There are two different types of testicular cancer based on how the cells look under a microscope. The classifications are seminoma and non-seminoma testicular cancer.

Metastatic nonseminomatuous testicular cancer can be cured in many men with chemotherapy. Sometimes after the treatment the cancer returns. The journal BJU International published results that stated if men recur more than two years following chemotherapy it may prove to be different than cancer that recurs earlier, and may require different treatment options.

Researches in the UK did a study of men who had late relapse. They wanted to see if surgery could in fact have good outcomes on these men. The study concluded that if surgery is feasible it appears to improve survival.

Celebrities have a way of motivating the public to take action. They help dictate fashion trends and set standards for mostly unattainable body shapes and sizes. They add hype to political views and philosophies and make influential statements about all sorts of issues. Like breast cancer. With its backing from celebrities like Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow and Kylie Minogue — all breast cancer survivors who are speaking out and raising awareness — breast cancer has burst onto the media scene and is receiving powerful, positive attention. Kylie Minogue’s public diagnosis spurred so many women into getting their breasts checked that the Medical Journal of Australia reports a 40 percent increase in bookings for mammograms. But sometimes, celebrity diagnoses don’t elicit a response at all.

Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last month — yet the announcement barely registered on the public’s radar. Perhaps he does not command the same kind of reaction as pop singers do. Or perhaps it’s the type of cancer that keeps his public battle on the sidelines.

The breasts are a visible icon of femininity — out in the forefront for all to see. And so the issue of breast cancer is in the forefront. The pancreas, on the other hand, are hidden behind the stomach and are out of sight — and out of mind. When Apple chief executive Steve Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004, he didn’t even know where to find his pancreas. And so this organ does not attract much fanfare — and therefore does not attract the funding and research that breast cancer does. Which is sad because this cancer is not just hidden inside the body. It’s also a hidden killer. It can’t be felt like breasts can be felt. And there is no easy way to detect it, like with mammogram and other imaging techniques. Often a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer — the fourth leading cause of cancer death in Western societies — comes with a death sentence. And more and more, breast cancer diagnoses come with promising expectations of survival.

We may not know as much as about pancreatic cancer as we do breast cancer. But there are some behaviors that may contribute to this deadly disease. So in the spirit of prevention, consider this:

• If nobody smoked, 25 percent of pancreatic cancer cases wouldn’t happen.
• Alcohol consumption can increase the risk by 15 times.
• Some studies link high meat consumption and low vegetable consumption to incidences of pancreatic cancer.
• Folate, the B vitamin in green leafy vegetables, oranges, legumes, and whole grains seem to reduce the risk. But folate supplements don’t seem to have the same healthy effect.