THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Today’s news reports deal with items on:

• The mechanism of action of D,L-sulforaphane
• Isolation of an active protein from the bitter melon plant
• The potential of focal therapy for localized prostate cancer
• Reconstruction of the lower urinary tract after radical prostatectomy
• Hypofractionated intensity-modulated arc radiotherapy in  N1 prostate cancer

Xiao et al. have published a possible mechanism of action for D,L-sulforaphane — a promising, new cancer chemopreventive agent — in prostate cancer cells.

Xiong et al. report the isolation of a protein known as MCP30 from the seeds of the bitter melon (Momordica charantia). Bitter melon is a plant that grows in tropical areas worldwide and is both eaten as a vegetable and used for medicinal purposes. Xiong et al. state that MCP30 selectively induces apoptosis in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and prostate cancer cells and inhibits histone deacetylase-1 (HDAC-1) activity.

Turpen and Rosser have reviewed current data on the potential of focal therapy for low risk, localized prostate cancer. They emphasize the current and future importance of accurate identification of index lesions within the prostate, being able to image cancers within the prostate, and methodical study the significant potential range of focal therapeutic options.

Garg and See have reported 9-year data on risk for bladder neck contractures (“strictures”) after use of “intussuscepted vesico-urethral anastomosis” a specific method of urinary tract reconstruction after radical retropubic prostatectomy. According to their data, this form of reconstruction appears to have a significantly lower potential risk for bladder neck contracture than more traditional methods.

Fonteyne et al. have published initial data on the use of hypofractionated intensity-modulated arc radiotherapy in combination with 3 years of androgen deprivation as primary therapy for stage N1 (lymph node-positive) prostate cancer. Their study was conducted in 31 patients who received 22 radiation treatments. Based on the available data, this form of  treatment appears to be feasible and to have relatively low toxicity. It is designed to radiate the prostate itself at relatively high levels of radiation while lower radiation levels are delivered to relevant nearby tissues in order to also radiate cancer known to have escaped the prostate.

Filed under: Drugs in development, Management, Prevention, Treatment | Tagged: arc, bitter melon, focal therapy, hypofractionated, intensity-modulated, radiotherapy, reconstruction, sulforaphane, urinary tract |