Saturday 28 January 2017

Nottingham scientists create prostate cancer cells...

Examples of developed prostate cancer cell line spheres with differing levels of EMT

A group of Nottingham scientists have created prostate cancer cells as they move closer to working out how they spread.

A team at Nottingham Trent University has been able to generate a panel of the cells which spontaneously undergo a process thought to be involved in the spread of the disease.
The team got the cells from a prostate cancer tumour cell line and noticed the cells took on certain features which meant they could move to other tissues.
Metastasis, when cells invade somewhere else such as the bone or brain, causes the majority of prostate cancer-related deaths.
Dr David Boocock, a scientist at the John van Geest Centre cancer research, said: “Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in Europe and 90 per cent of cancer-related deaths are due to disease which is resistant to therapy and has spread to other parts of the body.
“Cancer cells acquire the capacity to move from the primary tumour to other sites by activating biological processes which allow them to survive the journey and establish themselves in their new ‘home.’
“It is clear that understanding these processes is crucial if we are to reduce the number of prostate cancer-related deaths.”
The work is expected to provide vital insight into the biology and spread of aggressive prostate cancers.
It is also hoped it will help improve the management, treatment and survival of patients with therapy-resistant disease.
Director of the centre Professor Graham Pockley said: “This work provides a novel and important platform for future studies that will help us to predict prostate cancer metastasis and better understand cancer progression.
“As such, it could also be crucial in providing valuable insight into potential new therapies and approaches for the treatment and management of prostate cancer.”
The work is reported in Nature Publishing Group journal Scientific Reports.

Saturday 7 January 2017

PSA testing for all men over 50 is essential

Today I had the PSA test I should have had in November 2016. I didn't want to risk that it might be bad and spoil our Christmas holiday to India; but there was another reason. For the past 6 years, I've had the test every May and November (6 monthly). 
I wanted to switch to annual testing, so it made sense that as from this year, I would have a good Christmas, and then go for my PSA in January; just the once in 2017. 
To my relief, again the result was 'zero'. Now I can forget this for another year, and leave behind all the stress of the 6 monthly PSA test.
I'm happy to hear that my brother Paul is still in the clear, though 4 years behind me, this is a good indication of his future chances. My other brother Andre is having regular PSA tests, and is now just before the age that both Paul and I developed cancer. So far, all indications are that he's still not in danger, and long may that last.
Regular PSA testing for all men over the age of 50 is the best chance you have of avoiding advanced prostate cancer. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.