Prostate Cancer: What You Need to Know About Treatment

What Is Prostate Cancer?

The prostate is a small, walnut-sized gland that sits just below a man’s bladder. One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in in their lifetimes. It’s the second most common cancer in the United States, and each year almost 30,000 men die from it, according to the American Cancer Society.

What is the Gleason Score

A pathologist will look at the biopsy samples under a microscope. If cancer tissue is detected, the pathologist then grades the tumor. The Gleason System of grading goes from 2 to 10. The higher the number, the more abnormal the tissues are compared to normal prostate tissue.

Two numbers are added up to get a Gleason score:

A number from 1 to 5 for the most common pattern observed under the microscope. This is the predominant grade and must be more than 51% of the sample.

A number from 1 to 5 for the second most common pattern. This is the secondary grade and must make up more than 5% but less than 50% of the sample.

It is crucial that the tumor is graded properly, as this decides what treatments should be recommended.

Traditional Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Men with prostate cancer have several treatment options. These include:

• Radical Prostatectomy – Removal of the prostate gland

• Radiation Therapy – high-energy radiation that can shrink and kill cancer cells

• Chemotherapy – drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill cancer cells

• Hormone Therapy – stops the body from producing testosterone, which prostate tumors use to grow

Brachytherapy – radioactive seeds are placed in or near the tumor to shrink and kill it

• Cryosurgery – freezing tissue to kill cancer cells

• Ultrasound Therapy – heating the prostate tissue to kill cancer cells

Advances in Prostate Treatment

In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever cancer treatment immunotherapy vaccine, Provenge. The Provenge vaccine has been found to extend the lives of men with advanced-stage prostate cancer. Researchers are also developing newer forms of treatment for prostate cancer, such as high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy to destroy cancer cells, and targeted therapy drugs to stop the growth of cancerous cells. Doctors are also looking into the use of radio frequency ablation to reduce pain in men with prostate cancer.

Vaccine for Prostate Cancer?

Talk to Your Doctor about Your Prostate Problem

The earlier prostate cancer is found, the better. Early-stage prostate cancers can often be treated, but advanced-stage prostate cancer becomes harder to treat. Plus, the treatments that are usually most effective for advanced prostate cancer tend to have the most negative side effects. These include urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Based on your individual risk for the disease, your lifestyle, and your age, you and your doctor can decide how often you should be screened and at what age those screenings should start.

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7 Foods to Avoid if You have Gout

Gout is an extremely painful inflammation of the joints caused by a buildup of needle-sharp uric-acid crystals. The big toe is the most common target, but gout can attack the feet, ankles, knees, and hands as well.

An attack or “flare” can last for days or months. Men and obese people are at greater risk. If you’re prone to gout, the foods you eat—and don’t eat—play a key role in keeping your joints pain-free.

Here are seven foods to avoid gout attack.

Shell-fish and Mussels

Cut back on seafood and meat during a flare-up, says Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

These animal foods are rich in purines, which your body breaks down into uric acid. You have a little more freedom in your food choices when your gout is at bay, but it’s still a good idea to keep meat and seafood intake to a minimum — 4 to 6 ounces daily at most. Scallops and salmon are okay for an occasional indulgence. On the other hand, shrimp, lobster, eel, and crab are relatively safe if eat occasionally, says Scott Zashin, MD, a rheumatologist and clinical professor of medicine at UT Southwestern.

Anchovies and Small Fish

Whereas some types of seafood can be eaten once in a while, others should be off the menu completely for those who have gout. Avoid herring, tuna, and anchovies, for example.

Beer

Drinking beer is a double-whammy for gout-prone folks, Dr. Zashin says. Not only does it increase your uric-acid level, beer also makes it more difficult for your body to clear this substance from your system.

Wine is a better choice, but heavy drinking is a bad idea for everyone, and people who get gout are no exception, says Sandon, who is a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. During a flare, doctors will usually recommend that you abstain from alcohol entirely.

Red Meat

All meat is not created equal when it comes to purine content. White meat is generally better than red, but it is okay to eat some types of red meat once in a while. And lamb chops are a better choice than leg meat.

You’re a bit better off if your occasional indulgence is beef or pork rather than turkey or lamb, says Dr. Zashin. 

Sugary Drinks

Avoid beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, such as non-diet sodas or “fruit” drinks. Downing these drinks isn’t just an easy way to pack on pounds; the sweeteners will stimulate the body to produce more uric acid.

A study found that men who consumed lots of fructose were at higher risk of developing gout; in 2010 that same research team reported that drinking fructose-sweetened drinks every day, compared with consuming less than one drink a month, upped women’s gout risk too.

High Purine Vegetables

Asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, and mushrooms are higher in purines than other vegetables. But if you like these foods, there’s no reason to avoid them completely, says Sandon. “Certainly you wouldn’t want to go wild with these high-purine vegetables, but they don’t seem to be an issue like the meats are,” she adds.

Veggie-rich diets actually help you clear purines from the body, according to Sandon, while the body seems to have an easier time excreting purines from vegetable sources.

Gizzards

Organ meats, such as liver, kidneys, and sweetbreads, are a major no-no.

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