| High Dose Radiation for Prostate Cancer Won't Raise Sexual Dysfunction
TUESDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Among prostate cancer patients undergoing a high-tech form of radiation therapy, exposure to a higher amount of radiation over a shorter time span poses no added risk for impaired sexual function, new research reveals. "For men getting a high dose of radiation in a shorter amount of time than is typical -- meaning getting higher doses per day for fewer days -- a loss of sexual function is the chronic side effect that concerns most," noted study co-author Dr. Eric Horwitz, a clinical director in the department of radiation oncology at Fox Chase Medical Center in Philadelphia. "But we found that sexual function wasn't any worse than when patients got radiation in the conventional high-dose way," he said. Horwitz and lead author Mark Buyyounouski, also at Fox Chase, were expected to present their team's findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, in Los Angeles.
ID cancer early, then get yearly screenings
A smile stretched across Bill Nevels' youthful face as he reminisced about peeking into George Steinbrenner's office. As he tells it, the New York Yankees owner had left early because his team was losing, and Nevels' grown son's connections got them the sports equivalent of a backstage pass. A sports fan extraordinaire and longtime grade school coach, Nevels, 72, isn't short on sports stories and he has a zest for telling them. But nearly a decade ago, as he was just getting into retirement, Nevels wasn't sure how many big-time sporting events he'd be able to make. He had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He underwent external beam radiation followed up with brachytherapy in which radiation oncologist Dr. Marc Apple implanted tiny "seeds" in Nevels' prostate that emitted a controlled dose of radiation.
Walking avoids prostate cancer bone loss
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29 Prostate cancer patients are not routinely advised to exercise, but a U.S. study found walking prevents bone loss caused from prostate cancer treatment.
Lead author Paula Chiplis of The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore said men with prostate cancer frequently receive radiation therapy to kill the cancer cells followed by months of hormone therapy, which decreases testosterone and estrogen that feed cancer cells.
Men undergoing hormone therapy lose between 4 percent to 13 percent of their bone density annually, compared to healthy men who lose from 0.5 percent to 1 percent per year, beginning in middle age.
The study involved 70 sedentary men with prostate cancer randomly assigned to a nurse-directed, home-based walking program or usual care -- no exercise during radiation treatment, with more than half also receiving hormone therapy.
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