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The Promise of Cancer Research
Doctors all over the country
are conducting many types of clinical trials (research studies in
which people volunteer to take part). They are studying new ways
to prevent, detect, and treat prostate cancer.
Clinical trials are designed
to answer important questions and to find out whether new approaches
are safe and effective. Research already has led to many advances, and
researchers continue to search for more effective methods for dealing
with prostate cancer.
Men who join clinical trials
may be among the first to benefit if a new approach is effective. And
even if people in a trial do not benefit directly, they still make an
important contribution by helping doctors learn more about prostate
cancer and how to control it. Although clinical trials may pose some
risks, researchers do all they can to protect their patients.
If you are interested in being
part of a clinical trial, talk with your doctor. You may want to read
the NCI booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients
Need To Know. NCI also offers an easy-to-read brochure called If You
Have Cancer…What You Should Know About Clinical Trials. These NCI
publications ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT 10ribe how clinical trials are carried out and explain
their possible benefits and risks.
Research on Prevention
Researchers are looking for ways to prevent prostate cancer:
a Diet: Some studies suggest that eating foods that have tomatoes in
them may help protect men from prostate cancer. Lycopene is an
antioxidant in tomatoes and some other fruits and vegetables. Research
is in progress to see if lycopene can help prevent prostate cancer. A
diet low in fat is also under study.
a Dietary supplements: The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention
Trial (SELECT) is studying these two supplements. The goal of the
study is to learn whether these supplements can reduce the risk of
developing prostate cancer.
a Drug: The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial was a large study to test
a drug that doctors thought might lower the risk of prostate cancer.
The drug is finasteride. In the study, the drug did reduce the chance
of developing prostate cancer. However, men who developed prostate
cancer while taking the drug were more likely to have tumors that
seemed to be high-grade. High-grade cancer grows and spreads more
quickly than low-grade cancer. Researchers are now studying tumors
from men in the study to see if they were really high-grade or only
looked that way. If you are concerned about getting prostate cancer,
you may want to talk with your doctor about the potential benefits and
possible risks of taking finasteride. You also may consider taking
part in another prostate cancer prevention trial.
Research on Screening
Researchers are studying
ways to check for prostate cancer in men who have no symptoms.
Screening can help find prostate cancer at an early stage. But studies
have not shown whether screening saves lives. The Prostate, Lung,
Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) is designed to
show if certain screening tests can reduce the number of deaths from
these cancers. NCI supports this study. The prostate screening tests
that PLCO is studying are the PSA test and digital rectal exam.
Researchers will screen the men in the study until 2007. The trial
will assess the harms and potential benefits of routine screening for
prostate cancer. The results of this trial may change the way men are
screened for prostate cancer. Research on Treatment Researchers are
studying many types of treatment and their combinations:
a Surgery: Different methods
of surgery are being developed:
—Robotic prostatectomy: The
doctor uses alaparoscope and a surgical robot to help removethe
prostate.
—Cryosurgery: Surgeons use a
tool that freezes andkills prostate tissue in men with early prostate
cancer.
a Radiation therapy: Doctors
are studying different doses of radiation therapy. They are looking at
the use of radioactive implants after external radiation. And they are
combining radiation therapy with hormone therapy.
a Hormone therapy: Researchers
are studying different schedules of hormone therapy. a Biological
therapy: Doctors are testing cancer vaccines that help the immune
system kill cancer cells.
a Chemotherapy: Researchers
are testing anticancer drugs and combining them with hormone therapy.
a Watchful Waiting: Men with
early prostate cancer usually do not have any symptoms of disease. For
these men, researchers are comparing having surgery or radiation right
away against watchful waiting. Men in the watchful waiting group do
not receive treatment until they have symptoms. The results of the
study will help doctors know whether to treat early stage prostate
cancer right away, or only if symptoms appear or get worse.
Researchers also are looking at ways to lessen the side effects of
treatment, such as bone thinning and impotence.
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