Tuesday, April 08, 2003
HMG Worldwide 2003 http://www.health-news.co.uk/
By Rael Martell
Maintaining a normal body mass index, engaging in regular physical activity and undergoing screening for prostate cancer can help stop disease progression, US research shows.
In a six-year study of 1,117 patients with localised prostate cancer, researchers from the University of Texas looked at prostate specific antigen levels, the aggressiveness of the cancer-- measured by a biopsy Gleason score -- and the size of the tumour.
The researchers discovered that patients with a high risk of progression were significantly more likely to be obese, to exercise less than twice a week and to not undergo annual prostate screening.
On the contrary, those with the lowest risk kept their weight down, undertook regular exercise and were screened regularly for signs of the What we are finding has positive implications for prostate cancer according to Dr Mfon Cyrus-David of the s department of It appears to be important that men maintain a low body mass index, exercise to the point of sweating at least two times a week, and are screened regularly for prostate he says.
The researchers emphasise that their conclusions are preliminary and a follow-up study is needed to validate their findings.
The study is one of the first to attempt to quantify the predictive risk that lifestyle factors have on whether or not prostate cancer will recur in patients who have been treated.
The findings were due to be revealed at the cancelled meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Toronto, Canada, this week.
Source: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center cancer,epidemiology.
With luck, the covariance is zero
Last modified: Wed Apr 9 08:24:43 2003