Amlodipine on blood vessels of prostate

Question:

Can Amlodipin cause increased capillary pressure in Prostate and thereby increase its volume so as to increase bladder neck obstruction?

Answer:

I can find no medical references indicating that amlodipine can cause any change in prostate volume. Amlodipine was actually studied alone and in combination with another drug to treat symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate. The study did not show any benefit from amlodipine use alone on prostate-related symptoms, though.

MRI: Effective Tool For Determining Pathologic Stage Of Prostate Cancer

In patients with prostate cancer undergoing prostatectomy, MR imaging plays an important role in determining if the cancer is restricted to the prostate gland or if it has spread beyond the capsule, according to a study performed at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.

The study included a review of 119 patients who were referred for prostate MRI prior to prostatectomy. “Results showed that MRI correctly identified 87/92 (95%) of patients with T2 and 6/8 (75%) of patients with T3 disease (T2 means the disease is organ confined and T3 means the disease has locally spread beyond the prostate),” said Timothy McClure, MD, lead author of the study. Steven Raman, MD, worked with Dr. McClure on this study.

PROVENGE Significantly Prolongs Survival In Men With Advanced Prostate Cancer In Pivotal Phase 3 IMPACT Study

Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers in Dallas, Texas announced that the pivotal Phase 3 IMPACT study of PROVENGE(R) (sipuleucel-T) in men with advanced prostate cancer met its primary endpoint of improving overall survival compared to a placebo control. The magnitude of the survival difference observed in the intent to treat population resulted in the study successfully achieving the pre-specified level of statistical significance defined by the study’s design. The safety profile of PROVENGE appeared to be consistent with prior trials. Mary Crowley is the local researcher in this trial.

Study Looks At Association Between Sexual Orientation, Race/Ethnicity And Prostate, Colon Cancer Screening Rates

“Sexual Orientation and Testing for Prostate and Colorectal Cancers Among Men in California,” Medical Care: The study, led by Kevin Heslin, an assistant professor at the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, examines prostate and colorectal cancer screening rates based on sexual orientation and race and ethnicity. Researchers analyzed data on 19,410 men who participated in a statewide health survey (Heslin et al., Medical Care, December 2008). Researchers looked at the use of prostate-specific antigen testing among gay/bisexual and heterosexual men and found no significant differences. However, the percentage of black gay/bisexual men who had undergone the test was 15% to 28% lower than gay/bisexual whites and 12% to 14% lower than heterosexual black men. The finding is significant because black men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than any other racial or ethnic group (University of California-Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Researchnewsletter, December 2008). The study suggests that further research be conducted to examine racial and ethnic differences in cancer testing (Medical Care, December 2008).

The Power Of Ideas: A Proposal To Ignore “pussycat” Prostate Cancer

Leading cancer scientists win innovation award for patient care

Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital have been named as the 2008 winners at the Medical Futures Innovation Awards ceremony celebrating clinical and commercial excellence this week.

Dr Chris Parker, Professor Nandita Desouza and Dr Nick Van As were selected from a field of more than 100 leading scientists to win the Patient Care Innovation Award for Cancer.

Diffusion And Perfusion MR Imaging Of The Prostate

UroToday.com – The current gold standard for diagnosis of prostate cancer is the Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS) guided prostate biopsy, initiated by elevated PSA-levels or a Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) suspicious for prostate cancer. However TRUS and TRUS-guided biopsies are known to have high false-negative rates, up to 30% with random sextant biopsies 1, 2. In the PSA era probably more low-volume prostate cancers are detected, leading to higher false-negative rates with random TRUS-guided biopsies, even when schemes with increasing numbers of random biopsy cores are used.

Additional Positive Findings For APOPTONE (HE3235) In Preclinical Models Of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEPH) today presented new findings that suggest APOPTONE™ (HE3235) is inhibiting in preclinical models of castration-resistant prostate cancer, the ability of tumors to synthesize the hormones necessary for their survival, as well as significantly down regulating the androgen receptor. Recent reports from the scientific literature indicate that androgen receptor signaling is active in all stages of prostate cancer, including late stage castration-resistant prostate cancer, and that castration-resistant prostate cancer may be driven by the intratumoral production of androgens. The Company’s new findings were reported this week at the 13th International Congress on Hormonal Steroids and Hormones & Cancer being held in Quebec City, Canada, September 27th – 30th. Dr. Richard Trauger, Director of Infectious Disease and Cancer at Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, presented the data, from work performed by Dr. Eva Corey, Research Associate Professor, Department of Urology, at the University of Washington.

Testicular Metastases: A Poor Prognostic Factor In Patients With Advanced Prostate Cancer

UroToday.com – In a study by Patel et al. (1) metastases accounted for 3.6 percent of testicular tumors. Carcinomas of the prostate and lung most commonly metastasize to the testis, with the former accounting for one third and the latter for one fifth of the cases in the literature.

In a study in Scandinavia, metastatic prostate cancer has been found in 6 percent of therapeutic orchidectomy specimens by Johansson et al. (2)

In Brazil, Korkes et al. found a frequency of 0.18% (3). The authors comment that at their institution in Brazil, orchidectomies are performed in large scale as most of their patients do not have access to the expensive androgen-deprivation drugs. Probably in Scandinavia, a highly developed area of the world, orchidectomy is performed in more advanced disease and after antiandrogen-deprivation drugs have failed. This may explain the higher frequency found by Johansson et al.

New Treatment For Prostate Cancer Pioneered By Scientists

Scientists at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) are developing and commercializing a promising novel therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer that may offer patients a faster and more precise treatment than existing clinical alternatives, with fewer side effects.

The new treatment – magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided transurethral ultrasound – uses heat from focused ultrasound to treat cancer in the prostate gland precisely while sparing the delicate noncancerous tissues around the prostate essential for healthy urinary, bowel and sexual function.

What Men Know About Prostate Cancer

Men most at risk of getting prostate cancer don’t know much about the disease, potentially delaying diagnosis and treatment, according to a research paper in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia .

After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting Australian men, with incidence rates increasing dramatically over the age of 65, and mortality rates increasing more rapidly for men over 70.